Being A Single Parent: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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Being A Single Parent: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The previous centuries have brought so much change to mankind that that the society in which man moves in has also changed drastically. Indeed, things and acts that were considered to be taboo before are now widespread, and almost accepted as a norm. One of these things is being a single parent. Societal data has shown that more and more individuals are choosing to become single parents. Still, despite this "normalcy", the state of being a single parent still brings with it problems, not only for the persons involved but also for the society.
Thus, in relation, this paper will look into the said effects of being a single parent. Firstly, this paper will first look into the trends and literature involving single parenthood. From these, the specific effects of being a single parent will be extracted further. In the course of these discussions, this paper will answer the question: Ultimately, this paper will attempt to answer the question: should people make the decision of becoming single parents? Most importantly, this paper will attempt to prove that the effects of being a single parent are financial problems, time management problems, and negative childhood experience for the little ones.
Single Parenthood: A Background
Single parenthood can be a result of numerous various causes. The most of these reasons is perhaps the divorce of a couple, leaving one party as the sole caretaker of the child. Still, it may also stem from cases of teenage pregnancy where the female gets pregnant and the other partner fails to assist the female in the parenting process. Nonetheless, single parenthood can also come from an individual`s decision to raise a child on his/her own either through adoption or through the use of surrogate donors (as source of sperm) and carriers (as in the case of surrogate pregnancy).In an article published by the New York Times in 1991, they looked into the varying trends of familial patterns. According to the authors, in the 1950`s, it was the children who used to live on their own, while in the 1960`s and 1970`s children lingered with their parents, moving out of the ancestral home much later in their life cycle. However, this same resource discovered that in the latest centuries, especially beginning from the ‘80`s, a greater number of individuals are now surprisingly living with a single parent (Barringer n.p.).
The government survey discussed by the NY Times article showed that as the centuries went by, societal inclinations that moved away from the normal or usual definitions of family and family values. Also, the same survey found that couples are now marrying at a later age, although rates of cohabitations (not necessarily with marriage) have increased. Some of these pre-marital cohabitations were also observed to cause further developments of single parents, especially in cases wherein a child comes from such a union. Still, being a single parent may bring with it different advantages, which will be discussed in the next section of this paper.
Arguments on Single parenthood
Most people who go into single parenthood argue that it has its benefits. According to these people, one of the greatest advantages of being a single parent is the independence gained by the partner who assumes the role of the dominant and single caregiver. This independence can most be appreciated in cases where a marriage or relationship has begun to sour and stop working for the parties involved. In such cases, conflict between the two caregivers may manifest as an added disadvantage for the child, especially in situations where the two parents are constantly at odds when it comes to the child`s future.
In relation to this, single parenthood can also be advantageous for the child in cases where conflict between the couple may have escalated to a level where violence of the other partner threatens the safety of the chi...