"Growing Up in a Single Parent Home"
According to Development Across the Life Span by Robert S. Feldman, almost one-quarter of all children under 18 live in a single parent household. In the United States, it has become somewhat of an anomaly to live in a home where both parents are present. Because single-parent households are so common, an important question is being raised: what are the positive and negative aspects of growing up in a single parent household, and does it matter if it is female or male run household?
The article titled, “Positive Effects of Single Parenting" by Tim Milles, states some positive effects of single-parent homes. One of the positive effects mentioned is that children in single-parent homes develop stronger bonds. Stronger bonds are created when more quality time is spent with the parent or guardian. Because there is more individual attention given to the child, the bond between the parent and child continues to grow as the years go on, and they lean on each other when times get hard. They are able to share the happiest moments with one another. These people spend so much time together, that the bond they share is stronger than anything else in their lives.
Another aspect of positive single parenting is presented in the article titled “5 Positive Effects of Single Parenting”, by Jennifer Wolf. Living in a single parent household can give children a sense of responsibility. Since a single parent can be at work trying to provide for the family, the child/children have to learn to do house chores, help take care of the younger children, and contribute to other aspects around the house. This allows the child to understand how hard it is to provide for a family. It teaches them to be mature, to have a sense of duty, and to appreciate everything that they have.
The final positive aspect of single-parenting is the child’s ability to learn how to handle hardships. Jennifer Wolf says, "Kids are forced to deal with their own disappointments early in life." A parent cannot always be there when something happens in the child's life. The best way that the parents could help them, is to teach good coping techniques to a child so they can help deal with their difficulties in a healthy way until their parent can be there for them. It is not always possible for a child to be happy all the time. Teaching children how to deal with hardships can also help them grow into mature, caring adults by showing them that you as a parent care about them, and always want them to be happy, despite the curve balls that life throws.
The negative aspects of raising children in single-parent homes are often thought of first, before the more positive effects. In an article titled, Single-Parent Households and Children's Educational Achievement: A State-Level Analysis by Paul Amato, Sarah Patterson, and Brett Beattie, states, "… single-parent families are the primary cause of school failure and related problems to delinquency, drug use, teenage pregnancies, poverty, and welfare dependency…" These problems are mainly caused by the parent not being around as much as he/she needs to be for their child. Also, when a child does not have the proper guidance that he/she needs, they tend to partake in riskier behavior which can lead to the problems mentioned above. A lot of the time children will act out, just so they can get the attention they crave from their parent or guardian.
A second negative aspect of a child living in a single parent home, is having lower levels of overall well-being compared to those who live in a two-parent home. Valarie King, Lisa Boyd, and Brianna Pragg, state in their article, “Parent-Adolescent Closeness, Family Belonging, and Adolescent Well-Being Across Family Structures” that, "children living with two biological parents have higher levels of well-being, on average, than children in stepfamilies and single-parent households, in part because two-biological-parent families are usually better equipped to provide key resources…". A child's well-being can be determined by a number of different factors, including things such as the support and family around the child, health, and education. If a divorce occurs, then usually the child will blame him or herself for the divorce happening, which then ends up being a feeling of guilt. If a child feels they have a poor well-being or a poor home life, then this can possibly lead to drug addiction, alcohol abuse, depressive symptoms, or teen pregnancy.
The last negative aspect of single parents is that they usually are economically disadvantaged. Robert Feldman says that "Single-parent families are often less well-off financially than two-parent families and living in relative poverty has a negative impact on children." A child that is not financially stable usually does not have the opportunity to get the best education available. Some children may work hard and get good education to go to college on scholarship, but many others do not. This disadvantage can in turn can negatively impact their future. Poverty can also lead to depression and bad health, because they do not have the proper resources to get the help they need.
In regard to single-parent homes, does it matter whether or not the head of the household is male or female? Statistically, Mothers are usually the single parent in the household either through divorce or death in the family. Just eight percent of households are single father families (Livingston). Sometimes when divorces occur, it depends on which parent is more responsible and is able to care for the children. Gretchen Livingston states in “The Rise of Single Fathers”, that the role of fathers has evolved, and they now take on a more important role because the sigma of fathers has been somewhat erased. Also, like single mothers, single fathers are more likely to be young and less educated, which then can lead to them overall being less well-off. There doesn't seem to be any specific negatives or positives to having a male or female-headed household, since both bring different aspects to single parenting.
The connection to developmental psychology is that parents and home life have a very big influence on children through their lives. Children learn almost everything from their parents, so how they see their parents while they are growing up and developing into adults can predict how they will act and live in their future lives. A child that gets attention, love and discipline are sure to develop differently than a child who barely sees their parent and is not shown the attention and affection that they need to be productive members of society in the future.
Works Cited
Amato, Paul R et al. "Single-parent households and children's educational achievement: A state-
level analysis" Social science research vol. 53 (2015): 191-202.
Feldman, Robert S. Development Across the Lifespan. 7th ed., Pearson Education (US), 2010.
Livingston, Gretchen. "The Rise of Single Fathers." Pew Research Center's Social &
Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 24 Sept. 2013, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/07/02/the-rise-of-single-fathers/.
"Positive Effects of Single Parenting." SPAOA – Government Assistance For Single Parents,
www.spaoa.org/blog/post/57151d2a840e7-positive-effects-of-single-parenting.
King, Valarie, et al. "Parent-Adolescent Closeness, Family Belonging, and Adolescent Well-
Being Across Family Structures." Journal of Family Issues, vol. 39, no. 7, May 2018, pp. 2007–2036, doi:10.1177/0192513X17739048.
Wolf, Jennifer. "How Single Parenting Can Be a Positive Experience for Families." Very well
Family, Verywellfamily, www.verywellfamily.com/positive-effects-of-single-parenting-2997390.