Single Parenting
Times are changing and quite fast at that. Houses are shrinking, household help is almost nonexistent, both parents are often working late, children prefer internet games to actual physical activities and many more changes that we notice today, were quite unheard of in earlier times.
One major shift that is now evident is that child nurturing and rearing is no more the prerogative of both parents. Single parents are highly visible and I think it is now a fashion statement in some ways, to be a single parent. Usually it is the mother who wins a custody battle in a divorce but again, here too the changing times have been having an effect. Many single men are opting for surrogacy or adoption and therefore drawing pleasures of becoming a father without actually being married. Of course, in many Islamic countries, fathers do tend to win the custody battle.
So what is the big deal of being a single parent? A lot is my answer, because parenthood is much more than your usual office work of IT support in London or wherever! Most of our traditional values hold some logic and relevance and so does the institution of marriage and parenthood. A child needs a father and a mother. The effects, teachings, values, attitude etc. that both parents can inculcate in a child are quite high and irreplaceable.
Between the father and mother, one takes on the role of the disciplinarian while the other a sponge for the child’s attitude. While one is constantly monitoring the child and disciplining him or her towards becoming a better human being, the other is accepting the child with all faults and mistakes. It is this balance which teaches the child to be a responsible and yet lovable adult, once life actually hits upon him or her.
The nag of a mother and her unconditional pamper when the father is giving the child a showdown, are vital for the child’s overall and balanced growth. The advantages of an evenhanded parenthood are evident in many successful and famous celebrities.
It is not to say that single parents do a bad job at child rearing or parenting; however, the fact remains that a child sleeps more comfortably in his bed knowing that both his parents are around, is quite different altogether.
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