Amber Mileski Essays (959 words) - Family, Parenting, Free Essays

Amber Mileski Essays (959 words) - Family, Parenting, Free Essays Amber Mileski English 11 Textual Analysis February 28, 2017 Single Parenting and Dual Parenting Is single parenting better for children or is living in a home with both parents better for a child? Single parenting affects children in many ways, sometimes it doesn't affect them at all. Single parenting is more common now than rather back in the day. More parents are ending up alone because they are choosing to be. There isn't a very high percentage of single parent families but each year the percentage of single parent families rises. There are many children that live in a single parent home. Just because a child lives with one parent doesn't mean they are going to have issues. Living in a single parent home does make it harder for a child. Living in a single parent home does have many effects on a child. A child can suffer psychological and development problems. They are more likely to drop out of school and their chance of doing drugs and consuming alcohol is higher. Kids raised by one parent are less likely to be labeled or disgraced. So, to say if single parenting affects any peculiar child, it all depends. John Kelly states "A single parent with adequate resources may provide a stable home." I might say that this means that a parent with many resources as in extra help at home or help or abundant resources outside of the home, provide the single parent with more access of being able to be there for their child. One of the main themes in this article is the psychological effects of a child being in a single parent home. The theme of psychological effects of having a single parent is when a study took place in Sweden, looking at nearly a million health records of young people. It was explained that kids from single parent family had twice the incidence of psychological illness, wanting to attempt suicide, and they abuse alcohol. An example I'm going to use for the rest of this paragraph is about myself. I was raised in a single parent home, my grandmother raised me. My grandma worked her butt off, I went from sitter to sitter and saw my grandma at the end of the day. It really didn't influence me until I went to a friend's house and they had both their mom and dad. It was emotional but as I get older I believe it has more of a psychological effect on me now than it did when I was a child. Another major point on psychological effects of having a single parent is divorce. The theme of divorce is worry, hurt, fear, anger, revenge, guilt, and shame. Divorce is a very common reason parents end up single. Many children get exposed or drawn into the conflict that happens to parents before, during, and after parents split. Some parents are very selfish and try to pressure children to choose sides, which may leave them feeling guilty about having to pick a side. Children thrive on strength, security, and safety. For instance, single parents are more likely to move on or experience other disruptions that can affect a child. Uncertainty and emotional stress can increase the chances of a child having a psychological problem. A single parent can help prevent this by talking and listening to the child, protect the child from conflicts that happen between the parents, pay attention to the child and always try to stay positive. Development risks are higher with single parent families. The text concludes that single parents face issues when it comes to the child's progress in school compared to children that have both parents. An example I would like to use is myself again. I didn't face any issues in school, I knew my grandma was doing the best she could possibly do and if I needed help she found a way to help me. When I did good in school it relieved pressure off my grandma, and I knew that. So, that is what I did because I was aware of the affect it had on all of us. I can't say that all kids are like this because every single