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.
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I agree that there needs to be more educational programs available for young adults. I live in a rural area and there is very little offered. What is offered is not being taken advantage of by our young adults. I don't know if it is due to lack of transportation or interest. There is also a moving trend toward the father being the single parent. We are seeing a rise in child support cases through my office where it is the men raising the children on their own. Not sure why but it is interesting.
I think that men are not treated fairly when it comes to being a single parent. I dated a guy once in New York City he did everything the system asked out of him and was giving custody of his four daughters. The only problem he had was housing for them and could not get the assistance he need from the systems. He was given parenting classing but no classes on how budget finances. Nevertheless,he still struggles with resources from the State and Local Government. However, one daughter is in college and the are still in middle and high school.
Hey Tameka,
I enjoyed reading your blog, but was surprised to hear that the United States has the highest number of single parent families. I also saw that episode of True Life and thought it was interesting, but awesome at the same time that the man on the show had custody of his children. My uncle married his wife when they were 18 and they had three children together by the time they were 22. When their youngest child was 3 months old, she left him with all three of their daughters and never came back. My uncle was 23 when she left and he raised all three of his daughters alone. While is was an unconventional situation at best, he made it work for them. I also think that it is interesting that this country is experiencing a rise in men being single parents. While the majority of my single parent clients are women, I now have two single parent clients that are men, further showing a change in the trend.
We have a society that is ever changing and in changing these under age, teenage problems increase. I continue to come across 12-15 year olds saddled with new borns or with a due date. Children could certainly benefit from educational venues, but at the alarming rate kids are getting prenant we need a stronger intervention. America is satuated with the image of sex and our children can not appear to escape it's clutches. I agree that men are becoming a more valuable resource for raising children and there are some that have stepped forward and accepted the responsibility. You ladies keep cracking the whip and more of my brothers will step up and do better in this area too.
I have several male friends who are single parents and two of them are raising young daughters. I find this new trend interesting as well.
The awareness of the lack of various educational programs for young parents is what led me to the MSW program. Advocating for this particular area is actually a long-term goal of mine, and something that my mother and I often discuss. Considering our personal testimony and protective factors, we feel we may be able to help encourage/motivate other young single-parent families.
I believe that single parenting can be done equally as well by fathers. I think that the relationship between a father and his children is of great importance. Fathers are the model for what a girl will look for in a future mate and what a boy will aspire to be. I think that single mothers can instill some of these same values. Your insight was interesting and I appreciate you recognizing single parent fathers.
It is unfortunate the number of single-parent families that exist. Some are from divorce, death, or children born out-of-wedlock. I have seen single parents raise children of remarkable character, academia, and respect and I have seen two-parent families raise criminals, killers, and unwanted members of society. There are so many variables that should be considered when discussing this topic and you have done a good job of touching on them.
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