Stereotypes Of A Single Mother
Mothers are probably the best multitaskers there are. Since giving birth mothers have always been there to nurture, teach, discipline, and even our personal cheerleaders. As if this all is not enough, imagine being a mother with no other support. Single mothers have to be both parental figures for their children. However, single moms are breaking the stereotype of being on welfare, taking advantage of child support money, screwing up their kids, being deadbeat, weak, and unable to support their kids on their own. Single moms are mothers who take care of their child on their own for several various reasons. On top of that many mothers work, go to school, or do both. It is incredibly hard to imagine their hardships and crazy that people who
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have no knowledge of these mothers personally, can judge them off what they appear to be to the naked eye. People go deeper than what the eye sees, people are more than what the eye detects. Single mothers are made out to be a lost cause but it is important to understand them for who they truly are rather than stereotyping them.
Single mothers are looked down on by other people because they go against the social norm of a married couple raising a child. Many women think to be a proper lady you must have a man in the form of marriage to depend on. However, times are quickly changing and women are becoming more independent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 80 percent of children were raised by single mothers. Among these percentages, 45% are either divorced or separated, two percent are widowed, and 34% have never been married. As you can see, mothers are the backbone of this country. Mothers are starting to realize that it is possible to do it alone. The truth is single mothers have either been divorced, raped, or in abusive relationship either mentally or physically. No one deserves to be stereotyped, especially not single moms because they deal with so much stress, the last thing they need is the mom's from the PTA telling them that they are less.One mother even claims, “However, no matter how hard I work to improve my life I still have to deal with social stigma associated with being a single mom”(Corder 1). Even Googling “discrimination against single mothers” the first thing that pops up states that single mothers may be denied promotions, dismissed from jobs, and even passed over for hiring.
Single mothers do not get the credit they deserve. They work hard for their children, egos, and financial stability. Since most single mothers balance taking care of their child/children and work or school, they are typically put under extreme stress. Not to mention they probably have zero to no social life. One mother even explains raising her children alone, “It tests my conviction and my courage on a daily basis to the point where I question and doubt myself. Nevertheless all it takes is a prayer and one look at my sleeping children to get me back on track”(The Single Mother Battle on Stereotypes 5). Mothers have it in their nature to nurture their children before themselves, becoming our biggest protectors. Think of your own mom and appreciate everything she has done for you.Unfortunately, the misconception that they are all bound to be broke or unsuccessful will haunt them forever.
The only thing they can do to defy those who think negative about them is prove them wrong everyday and strive in school or in other ways.There is a stigma of not being able to take care of your own family.
Many people believe that an individual mother can make it on her own.. Now, it is crazy to say that every single mom has made it completely on their own. However, there are mothers out there who have, and have not regretted any of it. They might have throw up in their hair, dirt in their fingernails, and probably have not showered in a few days, but most mothers will do anything to see their children strive that their own personal hygiene is not even an option. Mothers who have a partners helping them with daily chores around the house, have no idea what it feels like to balance being the mother, father, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their children. These are the mothers who have to pay rent, water bills, and food to provide for herself and her child. These are the mothers people call “easy”, deadbeat, or weak parents.These same mothers have struggled daily with a damsel in distress feeling. More and more single mothers have been proving us wrong by maintaining full time jobs and some even finishing college. It is hard to imagine how one individual can manage all things at once. Many families are stuck in poverty and even two partners can hardly manage their households one their own. Two paychecks alone are barely enough to pay off most bills. Imagine what it must be like to have to cover all the bills and keeping yourself sane from the stress of single
motherhood.
One of the biggest misconceptions thought about single mothers is that they are “broke” or financially unstable. Many believe mothers need assistance from the government to take care of their children or need handouts because they are “single moms” and they need the help. The truth is many of them have great jobs and have been career driven enough to take care of the finances and the children.When interviewing a divorcee about how she handled the finances of being a single mother., she responded, “For awhile I borrowed money from parents to pay my rent until my child support was changed”. She also took out more school loans than she needed to and had a job and maintained side jobs as well. Eventually, when she graduated college while working and taking care of her children, she was able to find a full time job. From there, she slowly became more stable and dependent, not to mention her confidence went up and her stress went down. She sends a message to all single mothers that the sky's the limit.She is perceived as being weak for being a single parent but she carries the strength of both parents inside of her. She is stronger mentally from her experiences and believes everything happens for a reason. She is just a single example of what courage really means. Honoree Corder gives parenting advice in her book,The Successful,”You have perhaps been struggling with the basic challenges every single mother faces- feeling helpless, overwhelmed or even depressed having a lack of support, getting it all done, paying the bills and getting some sleep, balancing your personal and professional life-- and there are, of course, many other” (pg 3). Corders interviews other single moms in her book and she also helps other single mothers to develop their support systems, improve their attitudes, and see what life has to offer.
Handling two children, finishing college, working, and remaining sane almost seems impossible. It varies from awful sleep schedules, drinking too much coffee, and finishing homework at soccer games. Asking a friend how she managed all three things at once and she explained,”I scheduled sleep between midnight and four or five in the morning. I drank coffee and espresso like it was going out of style”. To maintain her schoolwork she paid for a hotspot so she could finish her homework while her children played sports.She even took school to her work time when she would wake up early to study before work or studying on her lunch. She even mentioned that she would coach her daughter's soccer team after work. It is important to have good time management while being a single mother or your own life while overwhelm you.
have no knowledge of these mothers personally, can judge them off what they appear to be to the naked eye. People go deeper than what the eye sees, people are more than what the eye detects. Single mothers are made out to be a lost cause but it is important to understand them for who they truly are rather than stereotyping them.
Single mothers are looked down on by other people because they go against the social norm of a married couple raising a child. Many women think to be a proper lady you must have a man in the form of marriage to depend on. However, times are quickly changing and women are becoming more independent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 80 percent of children were raised by single mothers. Among these percentages, 45% are either divorced or separated, two percent are widowed, and 34% have never been married. As you can see, mothers are the backbone of this country. Mothers are starting to realize that it is possible to do it alone. The truth is single mothers have either been divorced, raped, or in abusive relationship either mentally or physically. No one deserves to be stereotyped, especially not single moms because they deal with so much stress, the last thing they need is the mom's from the PTA telling them that they are less.One mother even claims, “However, no matter how hard I work to improve my life I still have to deal with social stigma associated with being a single mom”(Corder 1). Even Googling “discrimination against single mothers” the first thing that pops up states that single mothers may be denied promotions, dismissed from jobs, and even passed over for hiring.
Single mothers do not get the credit they deserve. They work hard for their children, egos, and financial stability. Since most single mothers balance taking care of their child/children and work or school, they are typically put under extreme stress. Not to mention they probably have zero to no social life. One mother even explains raising her children alone, “It tests my conviction and my courage on a daily basis to the point where I question and doubt myself. Nevertheless all it takes is a prayer and one look at my sleeping children to get me back on track”(The Single Mother Battle on Stereotypes 5). Mothers have it in their nature to nurture their children before themselves, becoming our biggest protectors. Think of your own mom and appreciate everything she has done for you.Unfortunately, the misconception that they are all bound to be broke or unsuccessful will haunt them forever.
The only thing they can do to defy those who think negative about them is prove them wrong everyday and strive in school or in other ways.There is a stigma of not being able to take care of your own family.
Many people believe that an individual mother can make it on her own.. Now, it is crazy to say that every single mom has made it completely on their own. However, there are mothers out there who have, and have not regretted any of it. They might have throw up in their hair, dirt in their fingernails, and probably have not showered in a few days, but most mothers will do anything to see their children strive that their own personal hygiene is not even an option. Mothers who have a partners helping them with daily chores around the house, have no idea what it feels like to balance being the mother, father, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their children. These are the mothers who have to pay rent, water bills, and food to provide for herself and her child. These are the mothers people call “easy”, deadbeat, or weak parents.These same mothers have struggled daily with a damsel in distress feeling. More and more single mothers have been proving us wrong by maintaining full time jobs and some even finishing college. It is hard to imagine how one individual can manage all things at once. Many families are stuck in poverty and even two partners can hardly manage their households one their own. Two paychecks alone are barely enough to pay off most bills. Imagine what it must be like to have to cover all the bills and keeping yourself sane from the stress of single
motherhood.
One of the biggest misconceptions thought about single mothers is that they are “broke” or financially unstable. Many believe mothers need assistance from the government to take care of their children or need handouts because they are “single moms” and they need the help. The truth is many of them have great jobs and have been career driven enough to take care of the finances and the children.When interviewing a divorcee about how she handled the finances of being a single mother., she responded, “For awhile I borrowed money from parents to pay my rent until my child support was changed”. She also took out more school loans than she needed to and had a job and maintained side jobs as well. Eventually, when she graduated college while working and taking care of her children, she was able to find a full time job. From there, she slowly became more stable and dependent, not to mention her confidence went up and her stress went down. She sends a message to all single mothers that the sky's the limit.She is perceived as being weak for being a single parent but she carries the strength of both parents inside of her. She is stronger mentally from her experiences and believes everything happens for a reason. She is just a single example of what courage really means. Honoree Corder gives parenting advice in her book,The Successful,”You have perhaps been struggling with the basic challenges every single mother faces- feeling helpless, overwhelmed or even depressed having a lack of support, getting it all done, paying the bills and getting some sleep, balancing your personal and professional life-- and there are, of course, many other” (pg 3). Corders interviews other single moms in her book and she also helps other single mothers to develop their support systems, improve their attitudes, and see what life has to offer.
Handling two children, finishing college, working, and remaining sane almost seems impossible. It varies from awful sleep schedules, drinking too much coffee, and finishing homework at soccer games. Asking a friend how she managed all three things at once and she explained,”I scheduled sleep between midnight and four or five in the morning. I drank coffee and espresso like it was going out of style”. To maintain her schoolwork she paid for a hotspot so she could finish her homework while her children played sports.She even took school to her work time when she would wake up early to study before work or studying on her lunch. She even mentioned that she would coach her daughter's soccer team after work. It is important to have good time management while being a single mother or your own life while overwhelm you.