There are numerous reasons why single parents are more prevalent today than the last 20 years. The pervasiveness and scope is staggering. In recent reports, thousands of single parents express concerns about the difficulties of rearing a child or children on their own. In a typical setting, a nuclear family is composed of a man, wife, and children or a child.

Today, many experts believe that the equation is somewhat complicated than previously thought, and they are still baffled by the occurrence. The concern for these experts is the ability of a single parent to rear the child and provide them with proper care, education, and proper upbringing. Although a lot of men and women who single-handedly dealt with the current situation with diligence and dedication, some may not be as prolific as those that succeeded.

Many single parents have no choice but to raise a child by themselves due to breakdown of marriages and economic problems. Mostly are women who garnered sole custody of the child after a divorce. Then, she has to send her child to school, dress, feed, and help with the assignment. She has to keep her job in order to support herself and the child. The difficult part is how to manage time to cope with her demanding lifestyle. Some prolific mothers may have the means to hire a nanny but to some that barely makes 30,000 a year face incredible hardships.

Another example is a single parent who is unwed and left to rear the child by herself. This is not an isolated case; in fact, it is prevalent in today’s societies, on all cultures and races. This is called abandonment – a male parent leaves the woman after learning that she is pregnant. The most difficult part is the mother has no job, and the father of the child refuses to help support the child.

Lastly, some single parents became what they are because of choice. Women with high educational attainment willingly chose to become a single parent without a husband or partner. According to a study, men no longer hold their place as the sole provider or bread winner status. Some women may chose to be a single parent due to abusive, deceased, or incompetent husbands. Others may also adopt a child and chose not to marry at all.

While these three examples barely scratched the surface, there are so many other reasons why there are so many single parents suffering the same situations. In some lands, being a single mother or father is becoming a trend. Whether by choice or circumstance, these single parents deserve help, counselling, and understanding. The parent should become the mother and father of the child, and by being so, represents enormous challenges, and we hope that these brave individuals should provide their children with love, respect, and discipline they deserve.