Single parenting - what is it?

In simple terms, a single parent is defined as a parent not living with a spouse or partners, and who is charged with most of the day-to-day responsibilities involved in raising a child. The demographics of single parenting show a general increase globally with children living in single-parent homes.

Today I would like to share some surprising facts about this issue, as almost everyone has an opinion on the subject, some of which are stereotypes and misconceptions. Whilst single-parent families have become more socially acceptable over the years, there still remain many assumptions which need to be clarified. How do these myths measure against the true facts about single parenting?

Let’s look at myth number 1 – a single-parent household lives in poverty. Since single parents have to bear a large percentage of the financial burden without assistance, there is an assumption that many of these households raise their children in poverty. This is not true in all instances. In fact, in the United States for example, less than 30 percent of those headed by mothers are at, or below the poverty line, and approximately 13 percent of single-father households are impoverished.

The second myth is that single parents are in this position because of irresponsibility on their part. While this may be true in some instances, it is nowhere close to being a general reality. There are many single parents who have escaped abusive situations, or were forced into single parenthood as a result of abdication of parental responsibility by their spouse and/or partner.

The third myth which seems to be one of the more popular ones, is that children raised in single-parent households develop a lower self-esteem than their peers raised in more traditional family structures. This parallel is also aligned to the assumption that children raised by single parents are almost always impoverished, and because of that, grow up feeling inferior to peers raised in dual-parent households. There are far too many contributing factors to low self-esteem to make a blanket statement about growing up in single-parent homes.

The final and perhaps most common myth is that children from single-parent families grow up to be less intelligent and mentally unstable than their counterparts who were raised in dual-parent households. If children do not receive adequate love, attention, and mental stimulation, they’re likely to suffer from these kinds of problems. The reality is that such conditions can exist in any home, regardless of the family structure.

Whilst single parenting can be an overwhelming experience, it is important to understand that the main focus should be the welfare of the children. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure they provide an enabling environment within which their children can obtain the appropriate love, attention and nurturing required to shape them into self-sufficient and confident adults.

Call 365-7648 to book your space for the upcoming workshop on “Women’s success towards Self-sufficiency and Financial Independence.”

Sandrine Rattan is a communications consultant who has also studied psychology/environmental relationships and sociology, email: thecorporatesuitett@gmail.com, Email: thecorporatesuitett@gmail.com