My interview with two single parents
In the world today parents come in various forms from the single parent, to the married parents, and to the divorcing parents just to name a few. Although the individual parent is their own person and they have their own parenting style the goal is still to successfully raise a child into a grown adult. For my interview I chose two close friends who happen to be both single parents with children of the same age. My two friends are from separate parts of the country and don’t know each other. Both have only one child, however Leila is the loving mother of a son and Brendan is the proud father of a daughter. What I found interesting was their similarities as well some drastic differences with their hopes and concerns of becoming new parents.
While waiting for her son, Leila was excited but almost felt bad because she says she didn’t feel as excited as she wanted to with the father not being around. Emotionally it was difficult to prepare for her son knowing the father was gone. As the pregnancy progressed Leila soon started to really focus on her health as well as the babies and began to imagine what he was going to look like once he was born. She began to read books such as What to expect when you’re expecting and asked her sister many questions about raising children
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I was amazed to learn that as many as one third of families in the USA today are headed up by a single parent.(https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/family-living/single-parenting-challenges-rewards/) Additionally the effects of social skills, behavior, and academic skills can potentially be effected by having a single parent house hold. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/83670-effects-single-parent-home-childs/) Overall, I found that the interviews of my two friends brought out similarities with their worries of being a good parent and differences of how they prepared for the arrival of the
What is a single parent? Is it one who destroys their child’s life? Is it one who ultimately cannot raise a minor on their own? Or is it one who dedicates their lives to the well being of their kid? Imagine a parent, and for whatever reason they were left alone to raise a child. That parent you imagined has to work long hours just to put a meal on the table. That parent has to play the role of the mother and father. That parent has no financial support. Unfortunately, in our society, this image of a single parent is looked down upon. There are people that don’t realize how much a single parent goes through to give their child a better life.
The second family that I interviewed was the Lyles family. Both Bro. Scotty, the father, and Mrs. Yolanda, the mother, participated in the interview and three of their children were in the room. Bro. Scotty was born and raised in Alba, Texas on the very same tree farm that he owns and operates today; he is also a deacon at our church. However, Mrs. Yolanda was born and raised in Guatemala. As a child she was raised Catholic, and is part of a large and growing family. She is one of eight children. Their family as well as anybody else in that culture celebrated their daughter’s 15th birthday with a Quinceañera which marked the transition from childhood to young womanhood. This was traditionally the first time the girls would wear make-up, nice
Kaakinen, Gedaly-Duff, Coehlo & Hanson, (2010) report family is the biggest resource for managing care of individuals with chronic illness; family members are the main caregivers and provide necessary continuity of care. Therefore, it is important for health care providers to develop models of care based on an understanding what families are going through (Eggenberger, Meiers, Krumwiede, Bliesmer, & Earle, 2011). The family I chose to interview is in the middle of a transition in family dynamics. I used the family as a system approach as well as a structure-function theoretical framework to the effects of the changes in dynamic function. Additionally, the combinations of genogram, ecomap, adaptations of the Friedman Family Assessment model as well as Wright & Leahey’s 15 minute family interview were utilized.
Single parent homes provide clear communication between the parent and the child. Communication is something that has to be developed between one person to the other person. It really helps, because it gets children use to being told no. Also it gets children to think of other ways to compromise using their mouths instead of resulting to violence. It allows for a clear understanding between two people. In Publisher Carl E. Pickhardt, PhD’s article “Why Single Parents Can Parent Adolescents Well” he writes, “With much t talk about and less time to talk, busyness causes single parents to speak directly and to the point, not hesitating to speak up when difficult issues need to be addressed, and treating conflict not as a challenge to their authority, but as a talking point.” (Pickhardt 6).
Archives are filled with articles focused on the outcomes of children raised in single parent homes versus children raised in the nuclear family setting. The subject is highlighted in mass volumes throughout various internet blog forums, newspaper articles, and popular magazines detailing the statistical data and reputed points of view on the outcomes of the subject. Countless bloggers provide substantial personal testimonies highlighting both ends in the debate, while giving readers an inside-look at this situation from all different walks of life. Developing this issue into a broader context, we as the readers have to consider the magnitude of the issue and ask ourselves, “In concern with the betterment of my family, which lifestyle could I possibly adopt to ensure that my children are adequately socialized and prepped for life outside the parental structure?” However, this is not a question that requires a prognosis from a prominent sociologist; in fact, children raised in single parent families are just as capable at success as children raised in the traditional family setting.
In the trajectory of humanity, single parenting has become a concept internationally accepted by most modern cultures. What exactly causes single parenthood? Well there are many factors in which could result in a single parent household. Death of a partner, divorce, and unintended pregnancy are just some of the causes of single parenthood. Based on this worldwide acknowledgement and understanding, single parenthood is usually aided by monetary help from the government or unions. Although financial help is available, the psychological effects a child goes through could never be fixed by any type of cash value. These psychological traumas and mental changes could affect the parent raising the child as well. Even with some financial help, single parents sometimes struggle to make ends meet. A study featured in Time magazine informed Americans that middle to lower class single parents will work 40+ hour weeks at minimum wage to provide for their child. If the parent is so busy at work, who's watching the child? Sometimes, the single parent might still have connection with their own families. Grandma and grandpa have to raise the child since the parent is hard at labor to provide for their offspring. Occasionally, some of our elderly folk do not have the competence to watch over a child. It might even be that the child is too energetic and could wear out the seniors. The child will then resort to the television, street, friends, etc to learn and grow. These influences might be negative for the child especially if they're not coming from the mother or father. An investigation of single parenting leads to the affirmation that raising a child by yourself is very difficult and must be approached very leniently and effectively.
Throughout history a one-parent household has been deemed as a nontraditional family, but in today’s society it seems more and more common with every day. Although the reason and causes vary, each year the number of children raised by a single parent increases. Most people don’t seem to realize how much this can change a child’s future. The impact of childhood experiences simply set the disposition of adulthood and the rest of their lives. There is not one sole factor that affects child development, but one very important one is the role and relationship created with one’s parents. How a child is parented and raised leaves a lasting impression on them, commonly for a lifetime. You can see how this might alter a child, being that one parent is missing. Child development based off of living in a one-parent household is very circumstantial because each child and each parent are different individuals. But one thing is for sure; all areas of child development can be affected due to a missing parent, including social, cognitive emotional, and physical areas. I sat down with Dr. Carlos Antoline, a children’s school psychologist to see what the real impact of growing up in a one-parent household has on child development.
“ The Disadvantages of Single Parenting”. All- About- Motherhood. n.p. n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.
In addition, the purpose of this paper is not to shame those with a mother and a father in their life, but to prove that being raised by a single parent can be just as beneficial and wonderful to the child. It does not matter if parents raise their children by themselves or as a couple. If they raise their children right that Is what is important. Since I was little my mother always taught me right from wrong. She taught me to respect others and treat them the way I wanted to be treated. She taught me to always say “please” and “thank you.” Also she never failed to make me feel loved and important. I always knew that I had her support no matter what. I can honestly say she is my best friend and I am so proud to have her as both a mother and father. She never tried to have my biological father stay away from me. Any questions that I had about him she would
It is never a child’s decision to only live with one parent. There are many ways that single-parent homes occur. Some of these ways include unplanned pregnancy, divorce, the decision to be a single parent by choice, and death of a spouse. In every case families are disputed greatly. Parents might experience depression, emotional problems etc…. but the child is affected the most. Single-parent families are commonly targeted for controversial issues. We must be careful that we don’t stereotype these when they’re very hard to take care of themselves and their children. We do however need to notice distinct patterns in children who give up in a single parent home and what problems they face. Even though a dual family is noted as the best environment for c...
A single parent household is a house with only one parent and one or multiple children. Single parent households are becoming very common in all racial and ethnic groups because it is no longer required for people to be married before they have children. Most households only have one parent because of divorce, never being married, separated, widowed, or because of business. The most common are, separation, divorce and just simply never being married. In these cases it is usually the mother who is the single parent. It is not too often that you see a father taking care of their child by themselves. This is usually because they do not know how, or they simply do not want to take care of their child. Statistics show that family structure has a big impact on certain characteristics of a child such as their attitude and level of respect. Children tend to be less respectful to people because they do not respect the parent who is not around. In many cases a child may become depressed living with only one parent causing them to get out of control and do things that they shouldn’t. Sometimes the child may feel like they are incomplete leaving them to do crazy things to find what they feel like they are missing. often times the child feels that they are the reason their parents are not together.
For this paper, I decided to interview my aunt Christine and my uncle John Barry who are related to me through my mom. My aunt and uncle have been married for 5,335 days or about 14 years and 6 months and they have two children. They identified how their first year of marriage ‘was full of change’ as they were not only trying to manage a household and learn how to live together, but they had their first child, Sean, in their first year. When my aunt and uncle were preparing for their second child, they remembered the primary factors that helped them raise their first. They recalled how the hardest part of raising a child was finding a cohesive balanced between nurturing, guiding, providing, and letting the child take their own strides in life.
There is a misperception that single parent households are not as effective as two parent homes. Growing up with only my mother I learned that that is not the case. I have learned many lessons growing up with just my mom. It took hard work and determination for her to make a life for us on a limited income. My mother has built a solid foundation for me and my two younger brothers. We have learned to fight for what we believe in, to stay strong in the mist of trouble, and to pull together as a family when things get hard. Single parents teach their children a strong work ethic, skills to gain independence, and a caring household.
As a child of a single parent household. I have first hand experience on the affects of having only one parent to not only take care of me but also show me and teach me about life and the correct choices that I should make in my life to better myself. Parenting is hard enough but parenting by yourself as a single parent is nearly impossible. You want to do everything for your kid to have a flawless life but the unfortunate news is that you can’t give them everything. Along the lines of helping your child in life as a single parent you are
Single Parent Struggle For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father.