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[H795]How Many Single Parents

by Jane Bear, Jan

Approximately 20-30% of children live in single parent homes since roughly 1970. However, the number varies from study to study and country to country. In the United States, being brought up by a single parent is not uncommon; studies showed that about three in ten children live in a single parent home.

In typical cases, a parent may become a single parent if left alone after divorce, after abandonment by the other parent, or after the other parent has died. Some individuals opt to become parents out of wedlock through artificial insemination or adoption.

Growing up with a single mother is by far the most common instance of single parenting; single mothers out number single fathers nine to one. Among divorced single parents in the United States, according to the US Census Bureau, only 15% of custodial parents in 2002 were men.

The problems that single mothers face are that they have a more difficult time providing for their families because women generally have lower paying jobs. Even though women face greater financial problems, they tend to be more nurturing to their children.

Before, fathers just were not socialized to be primary caregivers, but now it is not so rare to see a father raising a child on his own. Men tend to have higher positions in the work force, which in turn gives them higher income. However, fathers often do not communicate as well with their children as mothers do.

Being a single parent inherently comes with challenges, when it is a single parent household, the single parent must wear several hats and do a great deal of tasks to keep the family together. Children raised in one parent homes have the opportunity to take more responsibility for the entire family's well being than those with two parents to share the burdens of income earning and family care, making them independent, mature, resourceful, and responsible.

Because of the demands of single parenthood, single parents have a harder time dating others. Childcare must be arranged and there simply is limited time to spend dating and hanging out with friends. This would cause some single parents to be angry and feel left out of the "adult world".

Single parenthood can have advantages, even in the light of tough situation. You can establish rules and guidelines in a more straightforward manner, since there is no partner to consult or with whom to debate. There are many successful single parent families out there today and certainly, you can be one of them with some effort.

As lone parents, we may experience emotions such as loneliness and isolation. The frustration of being a single parent can create stress and anxiety levels that can be harmful to you and your loved ones, left unchecked this can lead towards emotional meltdown. Use this site learns the art of survival, have your say or tell the rest of us your survival tips.

Few of us actually want to be single parent mums or dads, given the choice I am sure you would much rather be in a deep meaningful, caring relationship. And its because of this, a lot of you, are where you are today. We are encouraged to believe from infancy that we will one day fall in love, get married have kids and live happily ever after. The reality is of course quite different, and many of us are left feeling cheated, hurt, and bitterly disappointed.

Note; a solo voyage is never an easy one, your survival depends heavily on your ability to wave that goodbye to what was. This is by no means an easy task, and many will be tempted to jump ship. I take this opportunity to wish these persons a lot of luck and every success in their old life. Those of you that decide to take that plunge may well find them selves stranded or treading water and will be picked up at our next port of call. Reports of an epidemic of Cabin fever have prompted the captain to suggest all passengers walk the decks at least four times a week.

There are many things that we take for granted, and our well being is one of them, the art of self preservation is all about taking control of our emotions, and deciding for our selves what is best, and that means what's best for you and your own, it is perhaps a tab selfish, but at this point in time it's no bad thing. Taking on the role as a single parent also includes the taking care of yourself, this may at first seem easy but in practice it is not, no more do you get that complement, nod of approval or pat on the back. You now have no one to answer to and no one to answer you back. You now have to encourage your own confidence and question your own doubts. This is by no means an easy task and is a constant battle of will, you may well stand as one but within there are two battling the odds on shall I or shall I not, etc. Don't be afraid to ask others their opinion on important issues, as a one sided argument will only ever gives you the answer that you want to hear, and not necessarily the right one.

Much of what we do in our every day lives, is only possible because we have mastered the art of certain social skills, like communicating, this like any of our skills is only available to us because it has been practiced, and if it has been practiced well, along comes confidence to back it up, and together they make a wining team. However, one doesn't work very well without the other. So unless the practice is kept up sooner or later one, if not both will simply disappear.

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Both Jane Bear & Julia Tanner are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jane Bear has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Family Travel and Medicine. About the author: Jane Bear is the best writer since Shakespeare. See more of her stuff at Get your free report on. Jane Bear's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.

Julia Tanner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Flirting Tips and Computers and The Internet. If you really want to find out the secrets of which or. Julia Tanner's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.