what's the difference between children from single parent families and two parent families?

Answer 1

Children raised by both parents have an obvious advantage. Children raised without a father have difficulty understanding a man's role in the family, society and towards women and children in general.

That is why marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman. It is simply the ideal situation and marriage is intended to set and recognize those who adhere to this standard.

EDIT- There is a disturbing trend in some of these answers. You cannot compare apples to oranges. To make a fair comparison one must assume you are comparing one loving and attentive parent to two loving and attentive parents. To compare a two parent dysfunctional family to a single parent functional family is not a fair assessment. You must compare a single dysfunctional parent to two dysfunctional parents or a single good parent to two good parents to see which is superior.

Anyone who claims that a child is better off with one good parent than two good parents is being disingenuous. Using an abusive or otherwise poor example for a father to make a comparison is like asking which is better bad-breath or no breath.
.

Answer 2

**this is no "feminist" fiction**
My daddy died when I was 1 year old, so I was raised by my mom only. I had two older brothers (who were 7 and 6 when my dad had the accident). I have a lot of respect for my mom who did an incredible job raising three kids by herself. She's such an amazing woman, I have learned from her to be strong, that I can do whatever I want to if I put my mind into it, etc ...
My eldest brother considered himself like a "little father"... he protected me and helped raise me in so many ways (tho my mom never pressured him to do so)... We are still very close. To all of us, family is VERY important. We call our mom a lot. We call each other. We want to have big families (my bro is 30, has 3 kids, and wants more... I'm 25 ans dreaming of a family of 4) We all are pretty succesful (or so I hope) my eldest brother has his own construction company, the other one is in the marine (and has been for 10 years, he's at a high enough rank) and I'm a student (master in litterature)... So I don't think there are any differences between children from a single parent and others. Honestly, I don't feel really different;)

Answer 3

I can't really answer this question unbiasedly b/c I was raised primarily by my mother. Oh, yes, my father was in the picture and he came by every nite to tuck me in...but my mom was there the most. She stayed at home and worked from home, so I felt really secure with her and the upbringing that she provided. There are a lot of ppl that say single parent homes are more prone to teen pregnancies, crime, dysfunction, early sexual activity, or worse things, but I don't think we can be categorized so easily.
My mom's older kids had their father around for most of their lives and none of them have achieved what I have. I like to think it was b/c my mom was more hands-on with me and b/c I was the youngest and she had more time to spend with me and I felt like she believed in me. There are a lot of single parents that are WORKING, therefore, they do not have extra time to spend w/ their children. When the parent's too busy trying to put food on the table, clothes on backs, and a keep a roof over heads, then that "together" time gets lost and thats when the trouble starts.

The key here is time. Even if two parents are present, they may not be giving a child the time that he/she needs. So they are just as prone to the problems that single-parent kids are. They just have more means (usually) to cover up things or deal with them thru monetary solutions.

Answer 4

to those who say 2 parents is best, i was raised with 2 parents up untill i was 13, let me tell you , that was the worst envirment anyone could have ever been in... when my mom raised us alone, we were happy and all was way better. With my daughter, her dad and i faught and faught, not a good enviroment for anyone, so i became a single mother, she was happy, healthy, and we had alot of time together just her and i. My kids are now in a 2 parent home, and its good for both of them, but if the enviroment is not healthy because of the parents, then a 1 parent home is sometimes best. No one can say one is better over the other. every cirumstance is different.

Answer 5

In my Opinion, there is not much difference as long as the child/children are raised properly. It is wrong to say that a child's home life it totally responsible for any wrong doings that the child may do. People have to realize that there are many factors affecting a child's upbringing...peers, teachers, relatives, etc. As long as they get proper attention and are taught right from wrong, it doesn't matter how many parents the child actually has in the rearing process. Two parent homes can neglect a child as easily as a single parent home. So, I don't believe the number of parents has much to do with a child's outcome.

Answer 6

It depends on the situation and the parents. Having two parents doesn't necessarily mean the child is better off.

Answer 7

Kids w/ one parent have more responsibility, are more independent, more creative, and have a better relationship with the one parent they have. They also have more structured discipline b/c there are no arguments over how to discipline/when to discipline etc. Of course this is not a rule but I'm finding it to be true in situations I encounter.

Answer 8

The number of parents who live in the home. Seriously, the differences come from the way they are raised NOT the number of parents they have.

Answer 9

from personal experience me and my two brothers were raised my our mother. we all turned out good. we all have good jobs. not one of us has ever been in any type of trouble. just b/c u have two parents dont mean anything. it has to do with how u were raised not how many parents r in the home.

Answer 10

Makes no difference how many parents are in the home. How it is raised and how it is taught to deal with the world is what matters. not how many parents it had.