Single Parenting, no easy job!

Single parenting is a growing trend and I believe it is a huge contributory factor to problems leading to crime in the youth population.

I know quite a number of people who are single parents and who have raised the most honest, decent, well-mannered and admirable children, so I am not being critical of the mere fact of single parenting.

What I believe, however, is that too many young people are becoming parents and they are not prepared for the role. There are too many unplanned pregnancies and too many people who are forced to get married because of those pregnancies.

Raising a child successfully requires two adults who are able to differentiate right from wrong, who are financially stable and who are able to provide their children with a sound education.

Raising a child in this day and age is quite difficult. There are many negatives in society today and many people who are just waiting to lead children astray.

When one is deciding to become a single parent try to remember that now, it may not be as easy as it was before. Now there are things like the Internet and child pornography.

There are things like drugs and pre-marital sex and sexually transmitted diseases. Every parent would want to protect his/her child from all of the above and this job would be very difficult with just one parent. Children need to be monitored at all times and this is why the supervision of both parents is required. Think about it.

A single parent who has to prepare breakfast, clean the house, dress a child for school, go to work, pick up her child, ensure that he does his homework and at the same time monitor all his goings and comings and his Internet time, would have to be a superwoman to do all this. Which is probably why nature calls for two to produce a child.

Both parents are needed not only to assist each other but also to ensure that the child is being led on the right path. It takes two parents to have a child who is healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually.

There are always questions to be answered when a child lacks a parent. Sometimes parents do not know how to answer those questions and they just end up lying to the child.

The child, therefore, is brought up on lies and when he gets older and finds out the truth, he will be torn and devastated to know that all he has been told were lies.

A child will, at some point in his life, need a father and a mother. He may need a mother when he is bruised and has problems with his relationships and he may need a father when he wants to go fishing with his friends or to some cricket match. No matter what, both parents are needed.

I am aware that there are some situations when nothing can be done and the single parent is a fact of life. But to those young people who think they are ready to bring an innocent child into this world because of "love," I say think again! Think of all the responsibilities that come with being a parent, not to mention all the expenses.

Think of all the struggles not only with your child but also with your "romantic" relationship. It is time that our nation’s youths begin to act more responsibly and realise that "love" may not last forever and most importantly they must remember that single parenting is no easy job!