To be honest, I never thought in a million years I would ever have to use research methods. I hated research in undergrad and really did not see how it was going to benefit me in the social work field; I had the persona that I was just going to be helping people. Well, I was mistakenly wrong. In helping people and receiving government funds, you have prove that your program is effective and it works. I wish that I had paid more attention in research so that I could have gained the knowledge of evaluating statstics and evidence that proves that particular prevention programs are successful.
In reading the article on Evidence-Based Practice, this term is used in many different ways;it appears that the article really focuses on evidence base research being used in the mental health and clinical field. I feel that evidence based pratice is used in the non-profit/prevention setting. As a social worker, that works in a prevention agency that deals with children, we have to show that our prevention programs that we are implementing in the schools are really working and making a difference. In saying that, I think that evidence-based practice is very helpful to social workers. One thing I have learned from working in the social work setting that people want proof as well as the documentation to show that a program is working and you deserve the funding for it.
The article is correct in stating that Social Workers and other professionals must be skilled in assessment and diagnosis; who wants to go to a social worker in plain terms " does know what the heck they are doing"? and they do not have the evidence to back up what they are talking about; I surely wouldn't. The article is correct in saying that consumers and professionals are important stakeholders in developing research agenda; this does help our country move from effectiveness to effiacy in the intervention and prevention programs implemented. What it all comes down to is that as Social Workers we must conduct evidence-based research to better serve our clients.

Dating and the Single Parent

Dating as a single parent is an interesting and complex topic that single parents at one time or another, face weither with trembling trepidation or heartfelt joy. Single parents to not want to spend their time alone in the world; eventually the kids grow up and they go on with their lives without their parent. The questions that come up are What are the rules and regulations of dating? and When do you bring the child in the mix? These are very tough questions.

"There are two types of dating for single parents. The first type of dating is called " What's your custody schedule" dating is whenyou begin to date another single parent, Accordoing to Jodi Seidler, these odds are great,being that close to 62% of all parents these days are single parents. These type of single parents may or may not have their children on the same weekend,but if they do when spending time with the children, keep the affection focused on the children and not your date". (Joid Seidler)

"The next type of single parent dating is Non-Parent dating. These dates have little idea what the single parent lifestyle is really entails, unless they have dated before. Some issues may or may not come up. People that do not have children have to realize, as single parents we plan for things,we just don't do spare of the moment things. One thing that I do not do as a single mother, I do not introduce different dates to my daughter; I am setting an example for her; she does not need to think that my love life is a revolving door. For the most part, when I was dating, I would drive myself to the date and drive myself back home." (Joid.Seidler)

One thing I have always kept in mind and I still do, my daughter comes first. My daughter will never feel like she is loosig me. Acutally, my daughter encourages me to get out and date, she is tired of me bothering her. LOL :) Last but not least, as a single parent entering into the world of dating, you need to be careful in your choices, keep yourself safe,and most important keep your children safe. Be wise and go slow. As a role model you are responsilbe for choosing dates wisely.

YOU GET WHAT YOU SETTLE FOR, SO CHOOSE THE BEST!!! YOU DESERVE IT AND YOUR CHILDREN DO TOO..........

Beating Single Parent Stress

Being a single parent is not easy for anyone who is in this situation. A lot of times I feel like pulling my hair out from lack of sleep and just plain out worrying about things that I have no control over. Not sleeping properly was killing me slowly inside. Unconsciously, I was saying that I was not stressed out about anything. The real problems ranged from money issues to the smallest thing with fixing the toilet; my stress had nothing to do with my daughter.

One thing as single parents, we must look after ourselves; we are not perfect and we are not comic book heroes that can fix everything in 30 seconds. RELAX, BREATH IN AND EXHALE !!!
If we do not take care of ourselves, we can not properly function and be the protective factor for our children. As singles parents, we are going to have to put our health and well-being at the top of the priority list; we can not afford to not look after our health. The answers to beating stress are simple and lie in the basics: EAT RIGHT, EXCERCISE, GET ENOUGH SLEEP, AND MOST IMPORTANT........RELAX.

LIVE IN THE MOMENT AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW
DON'T FALL IN THE TRAP AND FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF.
I TYPED THIS IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I AM SHOUTING THESE THINGS TO ALL SINGLE PARENTS. TAKE CARE OF YOU!!!!!!

Children of Single-Parent Homes/Two-Parent Homes

What does a single parent do when their child asks the question WHY DOES MY DADDY NOT STAY WITH US? Well, my daughter asked me this question when she was five years old. My first reaction was a poker face and a dumb-founded look; I was wondering WHERE WAS THIS COMING FROM? Kids are smarter than we think. At an early age, my daughter noticed our family dynamics compared to her friend, Diamond, who had both parents in the home. I did explain to her that some families don't have both parents, but that doesn't mean that there is something wrong. I talked to my daughter about the different family structures. I feel that my daughter was longing for her father to be there waiting to hold her in his arms, when she came from school, this was something she saw Diamond's father do day after day.I often wonder does having a parent absent from a child life's affect their stage of nurturing and their emotional development? Time and Time again, I have reassured my daughter that I can love her just as much as two parents can. Single parents have to be that nurturing and guiding factor in their child's life.We have to be the one their waiting to give them that HUG!! at the end of the day.

Chasing Down the Non-Custodial Parent,Financially and Time Spent With the Child

When I say chasing down the custodial parent, I don't mean literally running them over with a car. ( in some instances, that what you may feel like doing !!) I am referring to parents who have custody of their child/children that have to get the legal system to chase the non-custodial parent down just to take care of a their child/children.

I have had first hand experiecence with this chasing the non-custodial parent down for fifteen years. Suprisingly, I have been to family court with my daughter's father eleven time; each time leads to a dead end. I have often asked myself, "Who's side is the court system really on?" I have come to the conclusion that some of these parents are stuck in the adolescent stage; they still need to be nurtured. Money is not the only issue, the quality of time that is being spent is an even bigger issue. I think that some chldren value spending time with both parents, but that is not always the case.When the other parent has to make the non-custodial parent spend time with a child, that is a problem within itself or when the other parent gives the child false hope, I can fill up a shoe box full of false hope promises my daughter's father has promised her, only leaving behind a mess for me to clean up. I don't think that some parents realize how these unaccepting practices leave open wounds on a child that leave permanet scars; some of these children develop trust issues later on. The only thing I have to say is be careful what you do and say to children, they mimic our every action. Children are a blessing and should be treated as such.

Demographic Trends in Single-Parent Families

It appears that the United States has the highest percent of single-parent families (34% in 1998) (family.jrank.crg0). Most single-parent homes are headed by women. I watched a show the other night on MTV called True Life; this episode was about single-parenting. To my suprise, there was a man on the show that was raising his five children on his own; it appears that the mother was strung out on drugs and she was not properly taking of the children. In my opinion this was a demographic transition, because most people expect to see women taking on the role of single-parent.
In watching this show it was very evident that one particular girl was not stable enought be raising a child at the age of eighteen; she was going through an identity crisis and appeared to be having problems establishing her role as a mother. The young lady did not realize that parenting is a interactive process, with reciprocal parent-child and child-parent influences (Maccoby,2002). As I continued to watch the show, I came to the conclusion that the demographic trend was births to unwed mothers was the consequence of unplanned, accidental pregnancy coupled with the decision not to marry. To say the least these young adults were not ready to be parents and needed some coping skills as well as community outreach resources. This trend is not decreasing,it is rapidly increasing; there is a need for more educational programs to help young adults adjust to this life changing event; this can help young adults develop parenting efficacy and may help them overcome environmental conditions and improve thier child's well-being.

Single-Parent Families-The Effects On Children

" In the United States, the effects of single-parent family life on children fall into two categories: 1. those attributed to lower socioeconomic status of single parents and 2. the short-term consequences of divorce that moderate over time. Four factors are predictive of U.S. children's adjustment to the divorce of their parents: the passage of time, the quality of children's relationship with their residential parent, the level of conflict between parents, and the economic standing of the children's residential family". (family.jrank.org)
Not only are children born into the one-parent home, they also come into one parent homes by divorce. Some studies state that children of one-parent homes are at risk of antisocial behavior, aggression, anxiety, and school problems than children in two parent homes. I feel that some of these problems are a result of unavailable resources and adult supervision; many of the negative effects disappear when there is inadequate supervision, income,and continutity in social networks.

Society feels that the common explanation for the problem found among children in single parents has been the absence of a male adult inthe family, What's the explanation for those children being raised by a male? In my opinion, parents have to be parents, take on the role of parenting, not as " THE FRIEND" I feel that some parents are not raising their children, but the children are raising themselves, to be a parent, you have to act like one. How a child acts depends on their upbringing.