Single Parents

Parenting |

Single parents are often afraid that their children will be damaged from only having one parent in their home, and the results of so-called studies often do little to placate their anxiety. Your single parenting status can actually offer many advantages for your children.

Studies have demonstrated that the worst home situation for children is living in a home filled with frequent adult conflict. A one-parent home can be better that a two-parent home that is filled with adult conflicts and fighting, the parent may have more time for the kids as a solo parent, and the kids will benefit from not having seeing poor adult relationship patterns in their home.

This may be more advantageous to your kids than having them perpetuate the same bad relationship patterns in another generation. Since kids learn from what the see, it may be more beneficial for them to learn about two-parent relationships from other intact families rather than from two parents who bear animosity towards one another.

Children will be taught about living through hardships and adapting to differing circumstances during and after the divorce. You may not have the family situation that you originally pictured, but you can still have a wonderful, loving family.

More time with the kids can be a huge benefit of being a single parent. Meals can be simpler since kids tend to have limited tastes and appetites, at least while they are small. If you are used to having a partner that rarely helped with housework, you now have one less person to clean up after and do laundry for. Your time spent on financial matters could be less as you now have total control over your expenditures and record keeping.

The opportunity to spend time in two separate homes can be a good experience for your children. They will see different approaches to life and hopefully, take the best of both homes to use in establishing their own households as adults.

Kids whose biological parents are not together often will have a step parent or maybe two. This can be a plus for your children as they get to see other lifestyles and participate in experiences that they may not have with the parents. And, the larger the number of involved adults in the child’s life, the better.

Kids who live with one parent become independent faster other children their age. As a single parent may not be able to be home constantly due to a job and other responsibilities, the kids will learn to prepare a simple meal or maybe do some laundry if their favorite outfit isn’t clean. Those children who are raised in two-parent homes often don’t get as many opportunities to learn to take care of themselves. Your kids will also realize that since your relationship did not last, that this could also happen to them, and they’d better be prepared to support themselves economically and to run a household on their own.

A favorite benefit of many kids from single parent families is that they often get two or more celebrations for each holiday. They may get two sets of gifts at Christmas, often getting more stuff than they would have if the parents were together. Two Easter baskets, valentine’s gifts, etc., are also enjoyed by many of these children.

The ideal family with two parents can be a great situation for children. But, single parent families offer unique advantages for kids. While empathizing with your kids about having to live in two separate households, you can also discuss some of the good things that can come from living in a single parent home. As long as there is lots of love and positive discipline, your children will benefit from the advantages of single parenting.

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Annie Parron has been single parenting for seven years. For other single parenting articles by Annie, visit The Single Parent Spot

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