The Pros And Cons Of Being A Single Parent

In today’s world single parents are becoming a more common part of life. According to the U.S Census Bureau, out of about 12 million single parent families in 2014, more than 80% are single mothers. Today one in four children under the age of 18 (a total of around 17 million) are being raised without a father. Over time, society has defined a traditional family as a family that consists of a man and a woman normally married, that have children. The percentage of traditional families has drastically declined in the last couple of years, in fact the U.S Census Bureau estimated that only 20% of all U.S households were traditional families in 2010. This topic is very controversial, and has to be looked at by both perspectives. Some believe that …show more content…
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria, Australia there are different reasons for why a person becomes a single parent. They may have been in a relationship which they left, got a divorce, or in some cases one of the parents could have died. Having both parents at home can be difficult for the parents, but only being one parent just makes it even worse. The demands of income earning, child raising, and housework mean the single parent may have little or no time for themselves (Single Parenting). In everyday life it is more difficult for single parents to function effectively as parents compared to having both parents. As a single parent you have to do everything that your husband or wife would do, such as taking kids to school, and getting two jobs to pay for everything. As a kid my parents got divorced so I know what the process of living with only one parent feels like. The amount of stress put on the child from having both parents transitioning into only one parent is ridiculous. Living with only one parent can not only negatively affect the behavior of a child, but also decrease the rate of success the child has growing