The Psychological Effects of Single Parenting

When we think about the effects of single parenting, we must first acknowledge how difficult it is to raise a child in a single parent household. A single parent may easily feel overwhelmed for having to take on the role of both parents, and it is most likely one of the main reasons why there is such a negative stigma attached to single parenting. In a culture where co-parenting and marriage are widely considered as the proper norm, single parents in almost all parts of the world must face and deal with the sting of such hurtful stigma on a regular basis. Majority of people believe that the parent is not stable enough as they do not have a support system from their spouse and the children those single parents raise are at a disadvantage because they, instead of two parents, only have one parent – often, these people further add insult to injury by trying to justify the stigma with an explanation that a child with just one parent always ends up with some cognitive and emotional issues due to the disruption in their family.

While there is some truth to that, one cannot simply generalize. Being a single parent does not mean a parent lacks in support system and the quality of parenting is what offers stability and keeps children healthy emotionally – not the number of parents the child has. With so many negative stigma, some people may not realize that single parenting has a wealth of positive psychological effects as well, and that is exactly what we are going to talk about here. Keep reading to find out.

Closer bond and better responsibility skills

According to various studies such as one which was conducted by the Cornell University, the educational and social development of children raised in a single parent household is not affected negatively by the difference and does not show differences to that of children raised in a two parent household. In fact, children raised in a single parent household form an exceptional bond with their parent as both the parent and the child tend to closely depend on each other. Children raised in a single parent household who participated in the study also exhibit more remarkable responsibility skills, this is due to the fact that they are always called upon and expected to help out with household chores.

More mature and secure

Maturity and security may not be things that cross the minds of naysayers when it comes to single parenting. How is a child going to feel secure and be mature when they do not even have two parents as their role-models? Quite the contrary, children brought up by a single parent will realize about how important they are in their parents’ lives early on – this is a good approach to teach children how to work with the parents and the experiences they have help them to be more empathetic. Security surprisingly makes to this positive effects of single parenting list, although surprising, a child is more secure in their living environment as there’s an obvious lack of parental conflicts or arguments.