Most single parents want the best for their children despite the circumstances. Although there are an increasing number of single parent homes in the U.S., the effects can often be long-term for kids who are in the care of a single mother or father. When you want to learn about how children are affected by living in a single parent home, there are a few important facts to understand.
Low Self-Esteem
Children get their sense of security in the home, which affects how they view themselves and the world around them. Due to the circumstances of their childhood, they may begin to have lower expectations of the world around them. They may not understand how to have a healthy marriage later in life if they never lived with both parents. Their lack of self-esteem can also come from a place of not getting enough attention from their only parent, which can make it difficult to thrive both at home and in school. It’s important to recognize the child’s achievements and post a report card on the refrigerator or reward them for doing chores around the house to show that you care.
It can be easy for kids to feel lonely if they spend more time alone, which can make it challenging for them to learn how to socialize with other children. They may suffer from feeling abandoned by one of their parents and can have difficulty with connecting with other individuals due to a lack of confidence. If they feel like one of their parents doesn’t love them, they may not understand why someone else would see their value.
Lack of Finances
Many parents who are raising children on their own may be limited on funds because they are living off of a single income. A lack of finances may mean that children are forced to miss out on participating in sports leagues or dance classes because the parent can’t afford the extra expense. Depending on the number of children who are in the home, it may be challenging to be able to afford new school clothes or tutoring lessons. The added stress of living paycheck to paycheck can put extra pressure on the parent, which can be easy to recognize for the children.
Lack of Discipline
In some cases, children may begin to act out or develop poor behavior due to a lack of discipline in the home. With single parenting, it can be challenging to reinforce as many rules due to a lack of support from your partner. Kids may begin to misbehave at school or can become rebellious during their teenage years.
Many kids can carry the pain of not having both parents in the home and can begin to ease their hurt with drugs or alcohol once they enter high school. For some, this can lead to other types of illegal activity as they develop into adults.
Poor Academic Performance
Most single parents spend more hours working to support their family, which can mean that children are often neglected. The lack of supervision can cause them to do poorly in school with the homework that they need to complete each day. They may also not receive as much guidance with their studies or recognize their academic strengths without the other parent in the home.
