Free Essay

Two Parents Are Better Than One

In:

Submitted By debbie2010
Words 1485
Pages 6
Two parents are better than one
There are more and more parents who are divorced or they never marriage but have children. In my opinion, two parents are better than one. Not only are children with two parents better off emotionally, financially, medically, etc., than children of single parents, children of married parents fare better than children of unmarried parents living together. The children of happy marriages are much healthier in the term of mental than the children of divorced parents or the children of single parents who were never married. In an article from Rhona Mahony, she writes that:

“Researchers interview 60 recently divorced couples who are experiencing such trouble with their separation that they have sought counselling from a professional psychologist. One -third of the parents have generally adequate mental health. An additional 15 percent of the men and 20 percent of the women have severe mental illness, such as paranoid thinking or manic-depressive disorder.” (www.stanford.edu )

She also argued that:

“The researchers discover that after the divorce, many of the children in those families have trouble in school and struggle with intense feelings of anger and sorrow.” (www.stanford.edu)

It can be seen from the research that not only parents have mental illness but also children. In addition, Mohony refers to Second Chances (Wallerstein), which reports on children from divorced families. The appendix describes the unusual prevalence and severity of mental illness in her sample, which also supports my point. Also, from an article: The Effects of Divorce on Children, it is argued that:

“Generally how children fare in families is due in part to the mental health of the parents; this is likely to be true for children in divorced families as well.” (www.parenting247.org Apr 10, 2009)

It is associated with Rhona Mahony’s point, after the divorce, parents who have mentally problems will influence their children’ mental. In the result, children will have mental problem compared with children of happy marriages.

Also, I think two parents have more time to take care of their children. For example, if they are ill, parents are more likely to realise, and send them to hospitals. But if two parents pay more attention to their children, different people have different ideas. From an article of Married and Single Parents Spending More Time with Children, Study Finds, it said:

“Despite the surge of women into the work force, mothers are spending at least as much time with their children today as they did 40 years ago, and the amount of child care and housework performed by fathers has sharply increased.” (www.nytimes.com October 17, 2006)

It can be seen that parents pay more attention to their children compared with that of 40 years ago. But it is not connected with single parents. In the book Changing Rhythms of American Family Life, it said:

“The researchers found, to their surprise, that married and single parents spent more time teaching, playing with and caring for their children than parents did 40 years ago.” (www.nytimes.com October 17, 2006)

So, it is the same that married parents spent more time than that of parents did before, which is the same opinion with before. But the pattern is also true for single parents. In the result, it is not sure if married parents have more time to look care of their parents than single parents. In an article: Will Companies Discriminate Against Children of Single Parents, the authors said:

“Two parents also have more time than one, so they can watch over the child more of the time.”(www.psychologytoday.com August 6, 2008)

Also, in an article: Children in Single Parent Homes and Emotional Problems, Hailey Parker, a doctor and psychiatrist at Howard University Hospital, said:

“Single parents are more likely to spend less time with their child because of work and the stress of taking care of the child alone.” (www.thehilltoponline.com Thursday, February 6, 2003)

The two arguments I just said has proved my opinion that married parents have more time to spend with their children.

Another disadvantage for children who have single parents are that single parents have less income, which has connected with children’s education. It is true that single parents have less income compared with two parents. In an article: Weekend story: B.C.’s Shame: Half of single parents low income, it said:

“Nearly half of B.C.’s single-parent families face the challenges of having a low income. Even talented, creative parents are caught in the low-income tax bracket, earning less than $30,000 per year.”(http://peablog.ca )

Also a student at Howard University who wished to remain anonymous said being raised by a single mom caused a lot of problems in his life.

"We didn't have a lot of money and my mom worked two jobs. Still, ends didn't meet so I had to make my own money, illegally." (www.thehilltoponline.com Thursday, February 6, 2003)

So, it can be seen that single parents do have income problem, which also influence their children. Children try to earn money themselves to support expenses. To some extent, income does affect children’s education. If they want to learn higher education, they must need to pay tuition fee, which is expensive. For the lower income families especially that of single parents, it is difficult to support their children to university. But it is not the significant factors to decide the degree of education.
In an article: Single-parents don’t decrease a child’s readiness for school, it said:

“Although one-parent families had lower incomes, what mattered most for kids' school readiness was the mothers' ability and educational levels.” (www.ctpta.org December 1999/January 2000)

In addition, in an article: Single Parenting and Children's Academic Achievement, it said: “Even when they have the same academic abilities, children in single-parent families are three times more likely to drop out of high school than children from two-parent families. Because they are the primary and frequently sole source of financial support for the family, single parents have less time to help children with homework, are less likely to use consistent discipline, and have less parental control, and all of these conditions may lead to lower academic achievement.”
(http://library.adoption.com)

If you do not have enough money, you can not go to university. Although it is important that you need money to pay tuition fee, it is not the decisive factor. Mothers' ability and educational levels and parents’ care about your education are also important.

In conclusion, the articles I just recommend all think that two parents are better than one, which is same with my opinion. They also agreed that children of happy marriages are much healthier in the term of mental than the children of divorced parents. Also, two parents pay more attention to their children and have more income, which is connected with education. But it is not determine the education of children. Mothers' ability and educational levels and parents’ care about your education are also important. So, I think children turn out better if they were raised by two married parents than if they were raised by a single parent.

Bibliography
1. Divorce, non-traditional families, and its consequences for children Rhona Mahony http://www.stanford.edu/~rmahony/Divorce.html 24/06/09
2. The Effects of Divorce on Children Posted Apr 10, 2009. Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign http://parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=646 24/06/09
3. Married and Single Parents Spending More Time With Children, Study Finds Published: October 17, 2006 Robert Peter http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/us/17kids.html?_r=1 25/06/09
4. Will Companies Discriminate Against Children of Single Parents? On August 6, 2008 - 2:09pm in Cultural Animal Roy F. Baumeister http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cultural-animal/200808/will-companies-discriminate-against-children-single-parents 25/06/09
5. Children in Single Parent Homes and Emotional Problems Published: Thursday, February 6, 2003 Updated: Sunday, August 10, 2008 Erica Williams http://www.thehilltoponline.com/2.4839/children-in-single-parent-homes-and-emotional-problems-1.472758 25/06/09
6. Weekend story: B.C.’s Shame: Half of single parents low income By PEA Blogger http://peablog.ca/2009/04/11/weekend-story-bcs-shame-halfof-single-parents low-income/ 01/07/09
7. Children in Single Parent Homes and Emotional Problems Published: Thursday, February 6, 2003Updated: Sunday, August 10, 2008 Erica Williams http://www.thehilltoponline.com/2.4839/children-in-single-parent-homes-and-emotional-problems- 01/07/09
8. Single-parents don’t decrease a child’s readiness for school http://www.ctpta.org/parenting/singlemoms.htm 01/07/09
9. Single Parenting and Children's Academic Achievement http://library.adoption.com/articles/single-parenting-and-childrens-academic-achievement.html 01/07/09

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Psychology

...minutes she realized that if she brought over her little chair that was across the room, she could stand on it and reach into the playpen to get her toy. PSYCHOLOGY-RELATED QUESTION: Would this be an example of insight learning? PERTINENT CHAPTER: Chapter 6 (Learning) ANSWER TO QUESTION: Based on the reading of Kohler’s Study of Insight, Kohler believed that there was a deeper process of learning than simple “trial and error”. It seemed from his experiments that we first study and think about the problem for a while and then “in a flash of insight” we understand the solution (Huffman, 2007, p. 228). EXPERIMENT: My experiment will test whether children ages 2-3 use insight, or sudden understanding of problems, to find the solution. I will first randomly assign four children into two groups, two children in each group. Group One: no instruction given in regards to the different materials provided (CONTROL). Group Two: will be instructed to retrieve the ball in a playpen using the materials supplied (EXPERIMENTAL). Both groups will be given the same materials (playpen with two balls inside and scattered chairs throughout the room) and the same amount of time to solve the problem (1 hour). After an hour we will observe and see how many children retrieved the ball from the playpen (DEPENDENT VARIABLE) with the use of the chairs (INDEPENDENT VARIABLE) in the room. ALTERNATE FINDINGS: I would expect to find that the children would first study the problem and then later figure...

Words: 1536 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Family of a Different Feather: Toulmin's Model Analysis

...by Sarah Yoest Pederson, touches deeply on the issue of same-gender parents and how to explain it to a curious, yet ignorant, child using a well written children’s book. Pederson proposes that children are mostly “egocentric”, unable to grasp the emotional simplicities between two parents of the same gender. Pederson goes on to explain that it is unfortunate our society has deemed a children’s book as “most challenged and inappropriate material for its age group” only based on the taboo of same-sex parenting. Although the same-sex issue is not easy to explain to children, it is wise to educate children instead of sheltering them from reality. One of the first childhood lessons of “where babies come from” entails the necessity of a man and a woman. This causes a dilemma in understanding as to how a child could have two moms or two dads. The book “And Tango Makes Three” is revered by Pederson as a great tool to enlighten questioning children. Just as the issue insinuates – same-sex − the matter of love between parent and child is the same for all types of families. The claim, or thesis, for this piece is that an appropriately well-written children’s book should not be banned. Although the topic is still a societal taboo, the book would be highly useful for approvingly, and comfortably, answering young minded questions about homosexual parents by demonstrating equality. I agree that children – especially ones delighted in reading – should have access to a book(s) focused on...

Words: 642 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Final Project

...Parents’ bias towards the child who has better educational performance over other siblings. Introduction “Your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life” (Palahniuk, n.d.). Parents love their children so much that they sometimes do not bother to sacrifice their lives for them. But the question is-can parents always play a fair role to all their children. We see many children who are weak in studies are neglected by parents in hearing their decisions or suggestions and often those children hear more scold from their parents than other siblings who are good in studies. This type of negative attitude towards the child who is weak in studies makes him/her weaker in future life. Obviously parents want to see their children at the highest pick of success and that’s why they are more concerned with the child who has better educational performance than other siblings. Parents show bias attitude towards better educational performing child over other siblings as he/she meets parents’ expectation and they feel proud to talk about him/her to others. They also consider him/her to be the last hope at their old days. This research paper considers whether parents really show bias attitude toward the child who has better educational performance by focusing on three aspects: ...

Words: 3321 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

The Impact of Divorce on Children

...The Impact of Divorce on Children Jennifer Maples Liberty University Abstract When parents reject each other by divorce that eventually ends in totally separate lives for the father and the mother, the strengths of their children are not as developed as they could be, and ore weaknesses occur in major outcomes such as derivations, addictions, abuse and failure. When fathers and mothers belong to each other in marriage their children thrive, when they are indifferent or walk away from each other or reject each other, their children do not thrive as much, and many wilt a lot. The children of parents who reject each other suffer: in deep emotional pain, ill health, depression, anxiety, even shortened life span; more drop out of school, less go to college, they earn less income, they develop more addictions to drugs and alcohol, and they engage in increased violence or suffer it within their homes. Society also suffers with more gangs, more assaults, more violence against women and children, more sexual abuse of women and children, and much bigger bills for jails, increased need for health care supplemental education, addiction programs, foster care, homelessness programs, and on and on. The expansion of all these social program budgets is directly linked to the breakdown of marriage. When mothers and fathers belong to each other and strive to belong to God in worship the greatest strengths emerge and the least problems are present. All Children are affected by divorce...

Words: 1992 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Family Structure and Children's Well-Being

...Family Structure and Children’s Well-Being John Pass Western Governors University---Washington Some have argued that the disparities in life outcomes are primarily determined by characteristics of the family. Family structure is a fundamental characteristic of the family. This fundamental characteristic has significant and sustaining effects on children. The traditional family structure can be defined as a family that has children living with both biological and married parents. The trend for family structure is moving away from the traditional family to various other types of family structures. Today, children are increasingly growing up in single-parent, step, and grandparents-only families. Recently, there has been considerable research examining whether correlations exist between family structure and children’s well-being. Research suggests that the loss of traditional family structure negatively affects children’s well-being in academic achievement outcomes, overall physical and mental health, and increases the likelihood of at-risk behaviors. There are negative educational consequences for children that grow up in nontraditional family structures. A great deal of research on the correlation between family structure and academic achievement has results that are similar. According to Sun and Li, “most previous studies have concurred that growing up in various alternative family structures has negative educational consequences...

Words: 1548 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Public vs Private Schools

...choices are narrowed down into two main categories, private and public school. Many people in today’s society believe it is better to send their children to private schools rather than public schools. It is not an easy choice for parents to decide, but many parents feel their child is worth receiving the best education offered. The quality of teaching and the expectations of the students differ from the two schools. Studies have been made and prove that private schools have a higher graduation rate, student self-determination, and higher college admissions rate. In a private school a student’s self-discipline and willingness aids them in the future success of their lives. Advocates of private school argue that the education received in one of these facilities is more valuable and rewarding than any other academic opportunity. Private schools often have better grades and test scores with an above standard curriculum, but supporters of public schools feel that the students are better-rounded, both educationally and worldly, when in public schools. Generally public schools have a superior variety of classes to choose from due to the larger more diverse student population, however, private schools tend to offer more honors and advanced classes then public schools. The amount of students enrolled in private schools is significantly less than that of public schools. A private school has the option of not allowing enrollment of a potential student for one reason or another because of...

Words: 799 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Effects of Divorce on Children

...Foulkes-Jamison, Ph.D., Private Practice, South Carolina When parents decide to divorce or separate, their child or children are faced with multiple stressors. Just knowing that things are going to be different after a divorce, but not knowing exactly how can be frightening for most children. Children from divorced families have to learn to cope with the many changes in their family. The amount of contact with one parent, often their father, will be reduced. Children may have to move from their family home or change schools. They may have a decreased standard of living. They may have to live in two homes. They may have more responsibility placed on them. The custodial parent may be physically and psychologically less available for children due to increased demands. Often, children initially focus on these immediate negative effects of the family breaking up, and do not find comfort in knowing that other families that have divorced eventually do okay. Adjustment to divorce can take up to two years or even longer. Many children will adjust to their parents' divorce, but some will continue to have significant problems into adulthood. Parents' sensitivity to their child's needs is one of the most important factors in facilitating adjustment. Other factors such as the child's age, gender and temperament will also influence how well the child adjusts. A preschooler's reaction to and ability to understand their parents' divorce will be very different from that of an adolescent. A...

Words: 3470 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

One Parent Family vs Two Parent Family

...that children should be raised in a stable nurturing home by either both parents, mother and father or by a single parent. I feel that if it is a loving home where each parent is taking part in raising the child it is beneficial to the child. On the other hand if both parents argue all the time than it is not beneficial for the child’s upbringing. In having just one custodial parent the child is better off because the one parent will be able to provide a better stable social environment. Few parents decide on becoming single parents other reasons why someone might become a single parent are the death of one partner, abandonment or adoption of a child by a single person out of his or her choice. An unstable home where the parents are constantly fighting and arguing will lead the parents to choose divorce. Divorce does not impact the child as negatively as when both parents choose to stay together for the sake of the children. Researchers agree that around the time their parents separate almost all children go through a period of distress. Within two to three years, most children have recovered. The great majority of children of divorce are not impaired in their development. (Skolnik) One in four children is being raised by a single parent. There are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.2 million children. Most single parents are employed, which is contrary to what people think that they live in poverty...

Words: 912 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Fefei977017

...ANALYZE GRAPH • PREPARE OUTLINE • WRITE REPORT • 3 PARAGRAPHS • EDIT INTRODUCTION WHAT IS THE GRAPH ABOUT?  Type of graph  Title  X-Axis  Y-Axis  Key / legend BAR GRAPH NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITING MALAYSIA 6 THOUSANDS 5 4 3 HISTORICAL SITES HIGHLANDS BEACHES 2 1 0 1990 1995 2000 YEAR 2005 INTRODUCTION (EXAMPLE) The bar graph compares the number of tourists visiting Malaysia based on three popular destinations between 1990 and 2005.The three popular destinations are beaches, historical sites and highlands. NOW YOU TRY !  PIE CHART ON SALMA  BAR GRAPH ON MOBILE PHONE INTRODUCTION (SAMPLE)  The pie chart displays Salma’s expenditure for Semester One. There were four main items in...

Words: 2039 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

...various ways, but one thing is certain: all parents want what's best for their children. There are however quite a few different opinions on how to raise a child in the best way. One of the more prominent and controversial ways of raising a child is the Chinese way, which is discussed by Amy Chua in her article "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior", published on January 8th in 2011. The article is published in The Wall Street Journal, which is an American newspaper, which means the readers of the article are mainly Americans and western people in general. In the article Amy Chua argues that the Chinese way of raising a child is far better than the western way. Amy Chua has a decent insight on both the western- and the Chinese way of parenting, since she, herself, is Chinese and in addition to that she is married to a Western man, with whom she has two children. There are quite a few things that appeals to ethos in the article. First of all, she was raised in the Chinese way, and because of that she is today a professor at Yale Law School. It shows us that strict parenting results in academically successful children. Another thing that strengthens her ethos is that she is referring a lot to her own youth, telling us about a few incidents in her childhood, where her strict parents made her improve. Chua is really comparative and mentions a few studies to prove her point about the very opposing mindsets that the western-and the Chinese parents have. "In one study of 50 Western...

Words: 861 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Income Mobility: Up & Down the Economic Ladder

...Income Mobility: Up & Down the Economic Ladder by Tom Thompson Dr.Walker Senior Seminar 7/29/2009 Thomas L. Thompson Dr. Christopher Walker Senior Seminar July 29, 2009 Income Mobility: Up & Down the Economic Ladder People always say they do what they do to make life better not only for themselves, but for the future well-being of their children and hopefully those actions will get passed on to their children. This is my way of thinking of the paying it forward theory; giving all I have, to make the lives of my children better than the one I grew up with and the one I currently live. One of my most favorite quotes about getting ahead in life came from a philosopher and pastor Russell Conwell that is hand-written by my grandmother in a Bible that was given to me some years ago. It goes like this, “For a man to say, I do not want money, is to say, I do not wish to do any good to my fellow men" (Conwell). Everyone wants money, only if it is to do good for your family’s future. From the rich business professional perched high in their penthouse to the lowly street peddler on the corner, everyone has a story on how and why they ended up in that position. The United States is seen as the place where everyone has the opportunity of the “American Dream”. That includes the opportunity for one's children to grow up and attain to their fullest potential in which they are capable of, and seen for what they are and not what they are born with. It is the opportunity...

Words: 4631 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Gay Adoption

...becoming a parent; however, most would suggest that a good parent possess the following characteristics: Responsible; Capable; Loving; Trustworthy; etc -- none of which are exclusive to heterosexuals. So, if we can accept that homosexuals are for all intensive purposes equal to heterosexuals in their personalities and behavior (outside of sexual endeavors), then there is no good reason to deny them the right to have or adopt children. It would seem that whom one sleeps with is a personal choice that should have no bearing on their qualification for parenting. As such, it would be wrong to deny gay couples the same parenting rights as other people in society. To do so would be to exhibit blatant homophobia, or the idea that gay people would somehow make inferior parents. The only way to eradicate this absurd ideal would be exposure; people need to see that gay people are just as competent as straight people in being good parents. Moreover, exposure to the homosexual lifestyle would decrease homophobia and other bigotry in general. 2. Parenting is in no way limited to be between a child's biological mother and father. In fact, 1/3 of children in America are not raised in two-parent households [1]. Plus, the 2000 U. S. Census reports that 33% of lesbian couples, and 22% of gay male couples have at least one child under the age of 18 living in the home [2]. These statistics show us that the norms of society are changing; many children are indeed being raised by single parents or non-biological...

Words: 1081 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Non-Traditional Families

...For many years, children raised in a single parent family have been viewed as different. More recent, children growing up in a same-sex family have been viewed as different, and both considered as non-traditional (Duncan “Being a Successful Parent”). Being raised in a nontraditional family seems unmanageable to many yet over time it has become more established. In today’s society, several children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether raised in a traditional or non-traditional family. The problem is in the difference of children raised in traditional families versus children raised in a non-traditional family. Are non–traditional families just as good as or better than traditional families when raising a successful child? Should good parenting and an individual’s parenting skills be more of a concern than the family’s structure when raising a successful child? With many assumptions, this topic has become a very interesting argument. What parents must understand is properly raising a child is more important than the structure of the family. Children of non-traditional families can be just as progressive with emotional, social and behavioral skills as those of a traditional family....

Words: 1262 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

In What Ways Do Social Class, Gender and Ethnicity Intersect with Educational Achievement? Provide Some Examples to Illustrate Your Answer.

...discuss their affects on results seen in education and the way in which these factors are interwoven with one another. I will highlight the importance of each of these factors in determining the achievement of individuals and groups in education and the reasons behind their importance. Over the last ten years, the gender gap between the achievement of males and females in education has been growing in developed countries. (Gibb, Fergusson and Horwood, 2008) On average, girls in England achieve better results in most subjects at all levels of education. The issue is not confined to the UK as the problem also presents itself in other countries. (Machin and McNally, 2005) Women in the USA have continued to be more educated than men since the mid 1970’s. (Charles and Luoh, 2003 in Machin and McNally, 2005) Females attain more school and post school qualifications than males and also attend university in higher numbers. (Alton-Lee and Pratt, 2001, in Gibb, Fergusson and Horwood, 2008) National statistics for 2004 reveal a 10 per cent difference in percentage points of males and females with five or more GCSE’s at grades A*-C. (Machin and McNally, 2005) In the past, males have always performed better on average, in maths and science. However, this advantage is disappearing. (Benbow and Stanley, 1980, in Gibb, Fergusson and Horwood, 2008) By 1998, girls were outperforming boys by one...

Words: 1675 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Adoption in the Middle School Years

...Adoption in the Middle School Years Introduction To adopt a child means to take another’s child and raise him/her as one’s own. The process of adoption will have numerous rewarding experiences as well as difficult ones. When it comes to adopting a child in the middle school years, more challenges will present themselves than in any other age group. During this age, children begin to develop a sense of identity and begin to question their life experiences and their biological parents. School-aged children at this age go through numerous significant developmental changes. Much of their identity is derived from their family and peers in their lives. However, for adopted children, developing an identity is more complicated than non-adopted children. They have to assimilate two separate families and biological backgrounds as they explore how they fit in and the person they are growing up to be. Many of these children often face self-esteem issues and self-worth, and that is what makes them different from other children. A majority of adopted children have difficulty building social relationships with those around them and this can lead to depression, low academic performance, and even aggression. It is clear to see why adopting a younger child would be much simpler, but older children need homes, as well. Research 1 For many decades, adoption has become a highly successful solution for many adults who cannot provide for their children. Although adoption is viewed as a solution...

Words: 5116 - Pages: 21