The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Being Raised By A Single Parent

Growing up with a single parent is nice but it was not easy. Even though single parenthood can be both stressful and difficult, it does not mean that growing up with a single mother is any worse than growing up in any other type of family.

Author: Patricia Hardings

Growing up in my household, things were tight. Only money could have reduced the life pressure we faced at that time. There are very few things in life that are as stressful as poverty.

My mother, a strong African woman, taught me that although money does not buy happiness, we still need it.

My mum used to work long hours to be able to provide for my brothers and I. Because she worked a lot, she couldn't quite do the same motherly things as some of the other mothers I saw when I was younger.

For instance, our mother wasn’t able to take me to school every morning, she wasn’t able to play much with us after she got off work, and we rarely sat down at the same dinning table over a cooked meal.

To a person who grew up with both parents, this may sound unfortunate. To be honest, sometimes I would get sad when I would compare my childhood with other children who lived in two-parent homes.

In my experience, sometimes I feel it may be even better growing up in a single parent home, specifically, being raised by a single mother. I grew up as the only daughter born between two boys.

My mother and I had a one-on-one relationship that was special. As I got older, I always knew I could run directly to her for any advice on any issue. No topic was off limits.

My mother taught me the value of working hard. She would say to me there will come a time that I will be independent and need to provide for myself.

Growing up with a single parent is nice but it was not easy. They will give you the best as much as they can. Even though single parenthood can be both stressful and difficult, it does not mean that growing up with a single mother is any worse than growing up in any other type of family.

In my 22 years on this earth, I have come to see how mothers will do anything it takes to make you happy.

Not being with my mother on a daily basis was normal to me. I also remember several times she had to come home late from work and because I was so eager to see her, I would run and jump on her; hugging her real tight.

Of course, the down side of growing up with a single mother was that at times, I struggled with the nagging feeling that our father neglected us.

On the contrary, there are a couple of positive sides to growing up with a single parent.

For one, I learned to be independent as well as to gain a higher level of maturity at a very young age. I also became responsible at a much younger age than a lot of my peers who came from two-parent homes. It was common that we had to be the "adult" in the house when mum wasn't around.

These experiences taught my bothers and I to be strong and responsible on our own. We adopted self discipline because we had to make sure all work was done properly before she returned back home from work.

As a result, my brothers and I learned much more about surviving the world and about maturity that my age mates did not know about.

I have had more friends who were raised by single mothers. I am really proud of how they turned out because they also tend to have completely mature, responsible and positive life perspectives.

They are more independent, strong and fearless towards everything in life. Typically, as human beings, we will not know how strong we are until there is only one choice available. In history, as much as it is today, it takes a lot of courage and strength to be a single mother.

Single mothers deserve the highest honor for accepting the challenges thrown at them and facing everything by themselves while raising children.

A strong lady like me knows she has enough strength for the journey because my mother prepared me.

Being raised by a single mother, I have experienced life through her

eyes and she is the reason I have come very far in life today.