Effects on Children in Single Parent Household Essay

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that about 30 percent of American families are headed by only one parent. Single parent households numbered over 12 million in the year of 2000. According to this, single parent families can no longer be viewed as nontraditional families. These families are all around us today. So, interest has grown as to the effect of these households on Children’s well-being. The most important effect of single parent household on children is in academic achievement. According to the research named Single parenting and children’s academic achievement from Kunz (2010), most single parent households are run by mothers. Therefore, children who lack fathers’ attention can’t have a happy learning environment. They usually perform poorly in school because the lack of guidance on their homework. From this research, we can conclude that for every 100 dollars of child support mothers receive, their children’s standardized test scores increa se by 1/8 to 7/10 of a point. In addition, children with single mothers who have contact and emotional support from their fathers tend to do better in school than children who have no contact with their fathers. We can make a conclusion from this research that because children live in single parent household, they can hardly do well in academic achievement. Emotional effects also play an important role in the life of children growing up in a single parent household. According to the article named Children in single parent homes and emotional problems by Erica Williams (2003), living in single parent household can have many emotional effects on children, including feelings of abandonment, sadness, loneliness and difficulty socializing and connecting with others. Nowadays, because living in single parent household, more and more children become autistic. They can’t develop interpersonal relationship with normal people, which avoid them from surviving in the society independently. Besides, since they are given little attention, there are also other emotional effects on them, including low self-esteem, increased anger, frustration and an increased risk for violent behavior. Further, they are more likely to commit a crime because they want to attract people’s attention. This can not only ruin their lives but also break their parents’ hearts. Although there are so many negative effects on children in single parent households, it can have positive effects on them as well. According to a study at Cornell  University, positive single parenting did not show any negative impact on the social and educational development of the 12 and 13 years old participating in the study. In addition, children in single parent families may exhibit strong responsibility skills, as they are often called upon to help out more with family chores and tasks. Therefore, if children in single parent households are taught and educated by the single parent in an appropriate way, they can become people who are more strong and independent than the normal children in normal families. Because they lack love, they learn how to survive in this complex society and live a happy life and become stronger and stronger. To help the children in single parent households, our whole society is supposed to pay more attention on them. If we can give more care and patience to them, they will become strong but not evil. They are the most innocent part of their families, and they are supposed to be treated as the normal children in normal families. Please give your love and care to them. References Kunz, M. (2010). Single parenting and children’s academic achievement. Retrieved from http://library.adoption.com/articles/single-parenting-and-childrens-academic-achievement.html Williams, E. (2003). Children in single parent homes and emotional problems. Retrieved from http://www.thehilltoponline.com/2.4839/children-in-single-parent-homes-and-emotional-problems-1.472758#.UjSszMZ9dyc