Raising Children in Single Parent Homes and Term Paper

raising children in single parent homes and dual parent homes. The writer explores the differences and the similarities between the two homes and uses three sources to identify each category.

Children in Dual Parent and Single Parent Homes

In today's world there are as many children living in homes of single parents as there are children living in homes with two parents. It has become so commonplace that it is not unusual to hear questions such as "Does your dad live with you?" Or "Are your parents divorced"? As a normal part of daily conversation. There have been numerous studies done on the effects of being raised in a single parent home and being raised in a dual parent home. Many differences between the two settings have been discovered and many similarities have also been noted. The one thing experts agree on is that they are not one and the same.

The lack of time seems to be a universal complaint among parents in America. With the economy in a slump, and parents working more hours to make ends meet, then carting their children around to various lessons and activities there never seems to be enough time in the day anymore. This holds true whether the parent is a single parent or a co-parent in a dual parent household. A single parent household however, has different needs, demands and problems than a two-parent household will have. Single parent home children are often more responsible or at least expected to be more responsible than dual parent homes.Children tell stories of watching younger siblings and starting dinner before their parent gets home. While dual parent homes often have two people working outside the home, the dual income allows for help to be hired more often than in a single parent home where finances are statistically tougher (Peters pp 33).

Fifty years ago the typical family household included two married, biological parents raising children together. Today dual biological parent households make up less than 25% of the total households in America. One of the biggest differences between a single parent and a dual parent household is finances. Most single parent households live on a lower income than dual biological parent households do (Renkl pp 68). "Unlike high-profile single mothers like Jodie Foster and Camryn Manheim, most single mothers still struggle to pay the rent and the daycare bill, but that's where the similarity with the old stereotype ends (Renkl pp 68)." The differences between single parent and dual parent homes are becoming fewer in number as society becomes more accepting of single parent households across the nation. Single parent homes are often more stressed for time than dual parent homes. When parents in single parent homes work full time they are still responsible for the total transportation of children to lessons, activities and scouts. In a dual parent household the transporting to activities can often be shared between the two parents, thereby giving more time to each parent for alone time, or other interests.….....