Single Parenting vs Nuclear Parenting

Although households are “supposed” to contain two parents there are ones that contain only one parent. A single parent is a parent who cares for one or more child without physical help of another parent in the house. Though people looked down upon single parenting before, it is now quite common in today’s world. According to the United States Census Bureau the amount of children who live with a single parent has increased to a little more than 30 percent. Single parenting is a problem to others since children raised under a household of a single parent are two times more likely to end up poor, to give birth outside of marriage, to not graduate from high school, and to have behavioral and psychological problems. It is also said that children living in single parent households are more likely to experience accidents, injuries, and poisonings. Since kids living in single parent homes are more likely to undergo these problems, many people argue that children who live in single parent homes will not grow up properly. Although kids are more likely to develop those problems, if single parents raise their children properly their children will be able to avoid those problems. Single parents and other non-traditional families are quite capable of raising healthy, well-adjusted children. Those who propose that single parents are not capable of rearing healthy and well-adjusted children have comprehensible reasons. They worry that the children will lack guidance and attention needed since there is only one parent for them to go to. They also worry that the children will lack gender influence and will need help with relationship problems in the future. At last, they worry that the children will grow up unable being independent and responsible due to their parent “babying” them too much. I believe the reasons why people are against single parent homes are not very reasonable. People propose that children raised by a single parent are not being raised properly. They believe that the child won’t be attended to as often since there is only one parent. That is where they are wrong, because what is family for, right? Many single parents are able to turn to their parents, siblings or extended family quite often for help. People also argue that the child of a single parent will suffer from lack of gender influence. This is basically saying a child will not understand the role of either a male or the role of a female because of deprivation of the other parent. This argument is invalid since the role models of a single parent child could be uncles, aunties, or friends of the parents. Children raised from a single parent are able to grow up with the same amount of guidance and attention as a child reared from two parents. Many people argue that children being raised by a single parent will lack those basic essentials. Many think this because single parents often work a full-time job. I believe this claim is invalid but to a certain extent. As long as the parent has contact with family or friends, they, along with the single parent will help guide and support the child throughout their life as long as they are around. A life example would be a single parent that has to work. They will call their parents to watch their child. The child will then be taken care of by their grandparents. The grandparents will teach the child what is right from wrong (guidance); something the single parent may not have the time to do. They may also be there for the child when the single parent is not. Since many children crave attention, they like showing their parents their accomplishments from school they obtain. Since a single parent is usually too busy to take the time to notice. By having the grandparents there for the child, the child will more likely be able to receive the attention they wish to receive. Raising a child in a single parent household will not affect the child’s future relationships. Others argue against this because when children are young, they fall in love with their parent of the opposite sex. For the boys it is the Oedipus complex and for girls it is the Electra complex. Boys later on, end up looking for personality traits which their mother hold and choose a girl based upon those traits; for girls they undergo the same affair though they do so based off of their fathers traits. Some children unable to learn this develop relationship problems since they do not know what traits they are searching for in a partner. This task is extremely difficult for single parents to succeed in doing though it is not impossible. A parent can carry out this troublesome task by taking on both roles of the parents; as a father and as a mother. Single parenting holds the ability to teach independence and responsibility indirectly to their child. Others think differently, they assume these children won’t be ready for the real world due to the amount of “babying” while growing up. This of course is incorrect because studies show that children of single parents are more independent that those with two parents. Being there only one parent, they are unable to do everything on their own; this moderately forces their child to learn to do tasks the parent has not the time to handle, on their own and at a younger age. An example, if a parent is running late for work, their child may have to make their own meal since their mother or their father does not have the time to do so. Individual parents and other non-traditional families are completely able to rear normal, balanced offspring. Single parent children are fully capable of having guidance and attention, learning roles of the opposite gender, and being independent as children with two parents. If you do not believe single parents are able to raise normal children, you are thinking wrong because this type of family makes up about 30 percent of the United States population; this number continues to escalate.