There are some people from various walks of life who are now planning or have planned to become a single parent. Cristiano Ronaldo is raising his son singlehandedly. He knows who the mother is but has chosen not to reveal her identity. But that is a rare scenario. Most people who are single parents today did not plan it. Whether it is because of a divorce or spousal death, being a single parent is hard. However, it can also be rewarding in some ways. Here are the pros and cons of being a single parent.
List of Pros of Being a Single Parent
1. Make Primary Decisions
As a single parent, you would be taking all the decisions for your kids, yourself and for the family. You don’t need to consult anyone, there is no room for contradictions or arguments, you are not answerable to anyone and you don’t need to worry about what your spouse or someone would think of your decisions. This makes life a tad easier when it comes to contentious issues.
2. Be Sole Decision Maker
A single parent can make all the financial decisions as well. What part of the income must be invested in savings, how much would be spent on education, food, housing and other expenses, the level of austerity or luxury, everything can be decided singlehandedly. Finance is often a bone of contention among couples.
3. Equal Success at Raising Children
Single parents often succeed at raising responsible kids. The kids get to know that their mother or father is singlehandedly trying to cater to their needs. These kids become emotionally stronger, they are compassionate, they feel and relate to the effort being put in to raise them up and to meet the challenges of the world. As a result, they become more responsible than kids who are rather split while growing up.
4. More Focused on the Children
A single parent can be more focused on the welfare of the kids and have undivided attention that will ensure more love and care for the kids. Also, single parenthood makes the parent more self reliant. One doesn’t depend on others.
List of Cons of Being a Single Parent
1. Costly
Finance can be a problem if a single parent doesn’t earn enough. It always helps if there is more than one person earning in the family. If a single parent has more than one child, then it can be quite taxing.
2. More Work
There can be too much work to be done. Household chores, jobs, taking care of the kids, the various social and cultural compulsions along with the personal needs can become an impossible task.
Single parents would feel lonely and they are vulnerable to depression, anxiety and may be temperamental for being perennially drowned under responsibility.
3. Negative Discipline and Disposition
A single parent may not feel like offering enough care and attention to the kids. That will make it almost impossible to raise disciplined kids. A child may grow up with a negative psyche having a cynical view of the world.
