| If you're a couple having difficulty in parenting, single | | | | a great deal of stamina and self reliance. They must |
| parenting is probably more difficult. Single parents | | | | juggle the demands of work, homework, house |
| sometimes choose their role but, more often, they are | | | | cleaning and dealing with the financial aspects of |
| single parents because the other parent has divorced | | | | running a family. There may be just one child to deal |
| them, left them or is in jail. As a single parent, the | | | | with or several--all of which have issues they need to |
| individual must make all the family decisions unilaterally. | | | | have dealt with. When it is a single parent household, |
| If the child gets in trouble, it is the single parent who | | | | the single parent must wear several hats and do a |
| must take time off from work to deal with the | | | | great deal of tasks to keep the family together. |
| problem. | | | | Not naturally skilled in parenting, single parents can be |
| Despite the best skills in parenting, single parents often | | | | fathers as well as mothers. When a dad runs a |
| have difficulty staying steady with difficult discipline | | | | household, he must be just as sensitive to girls' issues |
| problems. The single parent is often worn down and | | | | as he his to boys' issues if he has a daughter. Dads |
| worn out by difficult children or teens and just can't | | | | are often thought of as the one who brings home the |
| maintain the same sense of discipline as a two parent | | | | money and not much else. In single parenting, the dad |
| family can do. Children of single parents often get into | | | | must do a little bit of everything and take the place of |
| greater trouble and have less parental supervision that | | | | a missing mom in the household. |
| children who live with two parents. | | | | Even with two parents parenting, single parents who |
| Because of the demands of parenting, single parents | | | | trade children back and forth during the week must try |
| have a harder time dating others. Childcare must be | | | | to put up a unified front for the children no matter how |
| arranged and there simply is less time to spend dating | | | | they feel about each other. Each parent is, in fact, a |
| and hanging out with friends if time must be devoted | | | | single parent but is one who must stay within certain |
| to the child or children. This causes the single parent to | | | | parameters so the child doesn't feel like he or she can |
| be angry and to feel left out of the "adult world" due to | | | | "pull one over" on one parent or the other. Discipline |
| the constraints of parenthood. Often the time is spent | | | | styles must be similar and the children must not be |
| between work and taking care of the children rather | | | | allowed to polarize the parents against one another |
| than going out with friends or dates. | | | | just because they aren't together as a couple |
| While dealing with parenting, single parents must have | | | | anymore. |