Single parenthood is often considered to be challenging. But it can also have advantages even in the midst of difficult situations.
Many single parents find it hard to balance family, leisure, and even work.
They, therefore, tend to let the weight fall on the older child/children to care for the younger siblings.
Some would even leave the children unattended and expect a neighbor or a friend to cover for them.
After all, there is no one to question their actions. As time goes by, teenagers might get influenced by their peers and their behaviors may be questionable.
In previous generations, being raised with a single parent would attract a lot of stigma to the child/children, but now things are gradually changing.
Some women choose not to get married but have children sired scientifically or deliberately with men they admire to be fit as father fires.
The greatest challenge comes when a parent has to deal with the opposite sex as a child.
A mother would find it hard to confront her son especially adolescents.
At that stage, the child needs a male figure even if it is not his biological father. A father likewise might find it hard to correct or discipline his daughter.
She may need a mother figure to help her straighten things out. It is often a challenge to raise a child single-handedly without the other parent’s support.
Single parents have advantages too. They are always free and not answerable to anyone. Experiencing peace in case they were in an abusive relationship.
Whichever decision we take of getting married or being a single parent, children should be number one focus.
If not careful, we might make them mature fast than their age mates thus skipping their childhood.
