THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE PARENTING

Single parenting; This is one trend that is gradually becoming a common thing in this our generation and therefore now seen as normal. But really, should single parenting continue? Is it ideal for the adults and kids involved ?

Humans are regarded as higher animals because we are created differently from other lesser animals. We are blessed with amazing problem-solving skills far better than that of other animals. We have different ways to understand, evaluate, tackle and solve a problem. It applies in our everyday lifestyle, and it is yet one of the things that makes humans unique.

Now in the aspect of parenting, especially here in our African continent, children are brought up by so many people in their lives. From the likes of grandparents to relatives, to teachers, and to their actual parents also resulting to other random people they meet in their life time. And in Africa, it is often said that a child has many other parents apart from its original parents as the community jointly partner to raise a child.

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But when a child is raised by only his/her parents, there would be a lot of restrictions on such child.

A single parent might either be too strict or too loose with the upbringing of the child and either ways, it's not very ideal for the development of the child.

Exposure is one key thing in life that we humans, especially children who are growing up needs to survive the outside world when the child would no longer be under the full watch of of its parents. But that child might not have it or better still understand it and its benefits and dangers (over exposure, perhaps); having the knowledge of the outside life but not knowing how to properly use it.

Misuse of that knowledge might make them turn out to live an unpleasant or indecent lifestyle like being wayward, being drug addicts, gangsters and the likes.

But a child that is brought up by several people in his/her life will tend to see things in different lights because there would be so many perceptions concerning things and such child's thinking would be broadened. They perceive the world in several ways and they tend to understand love better because they have experienced it in several ways.

Though it comes with its own disadvantages especially in the aspect of freedom of expression.

Eventually the child's freedom of expression is limited because the child would not want to do or say anything that would placed him/her in trouble with his/her parents.

Everyone is literally watching.

The child also has so many people to make proud and impress, and in so doing such child might get lost in the world of others because he/she is trying to live up to the expectations of others.

Personally though, I feel that it is better to be child to be jointly parented by both parents involved for the wholesome development of such child; than for a child to be single parented.