It’s easy to think that being a single parent can have mostly negative effects on a child. From allegations like trouble maintaining financial stability, to raising kids who have abandonment issues, there are tons of reasons to think that single parenting can have adverse effects on your kids.
Well, we’re here to prove the opposite. In fact, there are a handful of benefits and positive effects for kids being raised by a single parent. Among those benefits are important life lessons that kids of traditional families may not be able to fully understand.
In accordance with About Parenting’s list, here are 5 life lessons that only kids of single parents can learn.
Life Lessons Only Kids of Single Parents Can Learn
1. Close relationships
It might sound weird, but single parents can often have a stronger bond with their children than other parents. This is an especially strange claim if you split custody. In any case, the unique and valuable one-on-one time you’ll spend with your kid as a single parent can lead to stronger bonds that you might not be able to develop if you weren’t a single parent.
As a single parent, you get 100% of your child whenever possible. It offers a lot of valuable personal time for you to bond, and can lead to a closer relationship between you and your child.
2. Strong sense of community
Maybe you;re familiar with the old adage “it takes a community to raise a child”? It’s obviously not a literal saying, but there is a lot of truth in the statement. Kids of single parents often get a more authentic sense of community because they are more engaged in and exposed to their extended family and supporters.
This is even more true if their parents are in single parent support groups, or anything similar. Kids of single parents benefit from receiving help, advice, and more from various sources and can lead to better idea and understanding of how a community works.
3. Better understanding of responsibilities
Most kids have the responsibilities of chores and other household duties. However, kids of single parents have responsibilities that are of more impact to the stability of their household. Most kids get an allowance (or some other gain) for doing their chores, kids of single parents are typically doing chores because they need to be done.
These kids have the benefit of actually contributing in most cases, which leads them to feel more appreciative of their efforts around the house. Kids of single parents often understand the value of hard work at an earlier age.
4. Adversity
All families experience adversity; however, most parents work together to keep their kids out of the loop when it comes to some issues. Often, kids of single parents are more exposed to the adversity that single parents have to face. They witness their parents working hard, and handling whatever adversity is thrown at them with grace.
Kids can really appreciate single parents who work hard to maintain stability and as a result, kids of single parents develop a strong sense of independence.
5. Idea and importance of priorities
Children raised by single parents know that in order for their family to be successful, they can’t have their parent’s attention at all times. They know that their parents have a lot on their plates and as a result, they learn how to prioritise and balance their life. They also develop a better sense of needs versus wants because they see that what they might want, might not be a priority to the family and its needs.
Both of these benefits can help prep your child for the balances that are a huge part of the real world.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!