Single Parent Families Pros And Cons

Over the past 20 years, the amount of single parent families in the United States has started to become more recurrent than the traditional nuclear family. This is due to the sudden increase in premarital sex, divorce, and death. Life in these single parent households can be immensely strenuous for both the parent and their children. These families often face many challenges such as the difficulty of a single paycheck and less time to form proper relationships with the children. The most prevalent single parent families in the United States can be found in the African American community. According to recent research, it has been found that over 67% of African American children live in single parent families (Kids Count Data Center). These single parent families often present …show more content…
To provide an example of behavioral issues, children from single parent families account for 85% of all adolescents that exhibit behavioral disorders and 90% of all homeless and runaway children (U.S. Single Parent Households). Some would argue that growing up in single parent families is a positive influence on the child because it teaches self-independence and discipline. However, children in cooperative two parent families are subject to more consistent discipline and rules. In turn, this consistency between parents helps the children learn and develop moral values and normal social rules (Amato). When one parent is nonexistent in the child's life, the consistency is lost. The child usually begins to feel the negative emotional effects of single parenting which include feelings of abandonment, sadness, loneliness and difficulty socializing and connecting with others. Also, single parents, struggling to support the family, are often too busy to be active in the child's life. The children feel that no one