Single-parent families are very common now a days. Single parent is considered to be the one who is not living with a spouse or partner and is likely to carry the most of the day-to-day responsibilities in raising the child or children. Being a single parent and struggling for money often coincide. It is also true that children of one-parent households are generally less supervised, their actions are less monitored and there is usually less communication between the child and parent. It would appear that being a part of a single-parent household indicates a negative family environment because of the problems faced the single parents such as:
1. Financial and Health Care
Single mothers often experience the stress of financial strain, especially if they do not have the support from an ex-spouse in the form of child support or alimony. According to a survey, single-parent households also generally have less access to health care. Increased costs and financial burdens mean that some working moms are forced to work overtime or take on a second job to maintain financial stability, which can translate into less family time.
2. Spare Time and Support
Single mothers are responsible for managing the home and child rearing by themselves. Even with help from family members, the bulk of responsibilities for dinner, laundry and other household tasks falls primarily on the single parent. This can result in exhaustion and less energy and time for other things, like an active social life.
3. Child Behaviour
In single parenting many fathers stop seeing their children on a regular basis after the first year of divorce. This can cause children to act out from the hurt and lack of a positive male role model. Behavioural problems can also occur when single moms are too over-scheduled, making it difficult to manage discipline effectively. Youth in father-absent homes have higher chances of becoming impound and are more likely to get poor grades.
4. Single Parents Emotional Issues
Single parents face emotional challenges. The reasons that many parents become single parents are, by nature, emotionally taxing. The sudden death of a spouse; divorce, or the birth of an unexpected baby outside of a marriage all take an emotional toll on a single parent. It is very much important to get support from friends and family. You can also find support through local agencies and other organizations. Single parenting can lead to depression at times. Being a single parent you need to work through your emotional issues so that you are healthy enough to help your children deal with the emotional upheaval they are going through.
5. Single Parents and Logistics
A single parent has to learn to be a logistical wizard so that they can provide financially and emotionally for their children. Single parents typically work full-time and are either dropping their children off early at child care or school and picking them up late. Single parents must have jobs that will allow them to leave work for sick children, doctor’s appointments, parent conferences and school performances. It becomes quite exhausting to coordinate and execute all of these logistical issues. Being very organized and having back up plans can really help to reduce the stress that a single parent feels.
Single parenting relationship not only affects the parents financially and emotionally but also it tend to have negative impacts upon the children under which they are brought up. The common problems of single parenting faced by the children are:
Effects on Your Child’s Emotional Health
When a single parent argues with the other parent in front of the child, this can lead to stress in the child. It is especially problematic when the parents try to get the child to take sides or deliver critical messages to the other parent through the child. The conflicts between parents and single parenting’s effects on a child’s mentality which can lead to the child’s inability to grow an attachment with either parent. This lack of an emotional attachment can lead to feelings of insecurity.
The Effects of Abandonment on a Child's Mentality
When discussing single parenting’s effects on a child’s mentality, it is important to note the effect abandonment can have. Abandonment refers to when a parent leaves the household and cuts of all contact. Feelings of abandonment can lead a child to question his or her own self-worth. The remaining parent must help the child cope with the other parent’s absence so the child does not develop low self-esteem. Abandoned children also tend to have trust issues and bottle up their emotions rather than expressing.
The Effects of Constant Moving on Children
Single parents move around more often usually because they face more economic hardship and must move around frequently in order to find more affordable places to live. This frequent moving is another one of single parenting’s negative effects on a child’s mentality. Each time children move they have to leave behind their neighbourhood friends and the transition is even more difficult when they change schools. The possible effects of frequent moving are a sense of isolation, depression and anxiety.
Single parenting's effects on a child’s mentality vary but due to its inherent challenges, single parenting can cause stress for both parent and child and it is the parent’s responsibility to make it as least traumatic as possible. It is possible for the negative effects to be balanced out if the parents make an extra effort to provide their child with all the emotional support they need. According to the present study it has been seen that single parenting leads to depression, stress and anxiety in both the parents and children.