Top 17 Single Parents-Children Problems And Their Solutions!

Author

Sherein Al-Basyuni

29/3/2024

Table of Content

Single parenthood is one of the biggest challenges and obstacles that single parents face while raising a successful child. The responsibility is heavier as they don’t share it with the other partner. They take care of the kids alone.

Single parents have no choice but to cope with this challenging experience to meet their kids’ financial, emotional, psychological, educational, social, and health needs.

They struggle with mental problems such as depression due to divorce or partner loss.

If you’re one of the new single parents looking for help. Check out the most prominent challenges with kids and solutions to cope with this experience.

What is Single Parenthood?

Single parenthood’s definition is that single parents bring up children under 18 alone without the other partner sharing. They take this responsibility on their own due to the partner’s absence at home.

The single parents could be Moms or Dads. They don’t get the assistance of the other parents, so they have to play two roles for their kids at home.

Separation and partner loss are not only the reasons for single parenthood but also other troubles that happen to the other partners such as alcohol, drug addiction, and mental problems.

Single Parent-Child Problems

There are many problems that face parents and children as well:

1. Playing the role of the other partner

Single parents have to be the mom and dad at the same time for their kids.

This doubled responsibility makes them stressed most time. They do their best to compensate for the other partner’s absence.

2. Financial troubles

In the case of a dad’s absence, single mothers struggle with meeting their kids’ financial needs to provide all they want like food, clothes, education, and other needs.

They have to work full-time to get an income covering their financial requirements.

3. Feeling guilt

One of the reasons for the depression and sadness of single parents is that they can’t fulfill their kids’ need all the time due to hyper-responsibility and the difficult circumstances they go through.

4. Telling the children about the other parent’s absence

After separation or a parent’s death, single parents start a challenging life clarifying to their kids why the other parent is absent to know the new circumstances their parents face.

5. Adapting to partner's absence

Losing the other partner is the biggest challenge that single parents face. They suffer from emotional and mental problems, but at the same time, they have to overcome to be ready for the doubled responsibility.

6. Low educational performance

Some kids of single-parent families suffer from a lack of attention and monitoring from their single parents, so they are more likely to get low marks on tests.

7. Work-life Balance

Single parents who work full-time don’t have enough time to spend quality time with their children due to multiple tasks. On the other side, kids didn’t get enough care, support, and attention.

Psychological Effects of being a Single Mother

As single mothers live a life full of challenges, this experience affects them physiologically. Here are the most prominent positive and negative effects:

1. Learning to take responsibility

One of the positive effects of being a single mother is that children tend to help their mother and learn responsibilities at home to reduce the burden.

Children tend to feel a sense of responsibility as they see their single mothers stressed due to many tasks. This experience makes them mature quickly.

2. Creating a bond

Single mothers who aren’t workers spend quality time with their kids at home doing different activities. This effect creates a strong bond between mother and their kids.

3. Teaching positive attributes

Single parents are more mature due to the difficult experience they went through. So, they love to teach their kids positive attributes such as emotional management and forgiving others.

4. Mental and Emotional Problems

Kids of single parents families experience challenging circumstances such as financial issues. These troubles make them sad, anxious, depressed, and angry. They are a reflection of their mother's feelings.

5. Low Self-Esteem

Kids of a one-parent family suffer from low self-esteem more than children of two parents. They’re feeling different from the other peers due to single parenthood.

Effects of Single Parenting on Child Education

Single parenthood affects kids’ lives in all aspects, including education. Here are the most prominent educational effects on children of single parents:

1. Finance issues

Children of single parents miss participating in extracurricular activities at school like peers. Their single parents don’t have enough money that’s only for educational essentials.

2. Lack of Help and Support

Single parents don’t have enough time to spend with their children learning and assisting them in finishing schoolwork. They are busy most day hours due to full-time work or house works.

How to cope with single-parenthood challenges?

1. Set a daily routine

Life at home will be well-organized if you set times for your kids’ activities such as studying, playing, sleeping, and eating meals. The daily routine will affect positively their academic performance in school.

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2. Create your budget

To avoid financial issues as much as possible, you should create a monthly budget that fits your income. Divide the expenses into your kids’ and your needs such as food, clothes, school fees, and medical care. Include luxury expenses in your budget after the basics.

3. Get Help from Others

As you don’t have enough time for child care while you’re working or buying home needs, you can get the help of one of your family or a nanny to take care of he/she until you’re back home.

4. Plan activities for work-life balance

While doing chores or working at home, you can spend quality time with your kids through activities to keep caring and spend quality time with him/her. With this tip, you’ll eliminate feeling guilty.

5. Create a community of single parents

One of the positive sources that give you the support you require is to build a community of single parents. Through this community, you’ll benefit from their experiences of overcoming the challenges they face.

6. Talk about missing parents positively

When you speak with your child about the reasons for the absence of parents try to leave a positive and honest talk about this experience. This tip makes your kid feel safe and that this situation is good for the family.

7. Take care of yourself

To keep caring for your kids, you should avoid neglecting yourself. Allocate particular for doing activities to improve yourself physically and physiologically.

Moreover, take care of your personality, so you should try to boost your self-confidence. These positive changes reflect positively on your kids.

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Why is Single Parenthood A Problem?

Single parents struggle with the life challenges of raising kids such as financial issues, playing the role of two parents, and lack of quality time with children. These challenges affect all aspects of kids’ lives including education as they don’t get enough help with studying.

However, single parents can cope with challenges with practical tips such as forming routines, creating a budget, and getting support from the single-parent community.