If we can believe preliminary census
figures, one fourth of the kids in this
classroom goes home to a single parent.
New figures show fully 20 percent of all
families in the U.S.
are now headed by one parent.
Educators say kids from these families
can be insecure, difficult to
reach and may have trouble forming
friendships.
But the feeling is the most important
thing single parents can do is give
their child a strong and warm support
network, keep them
close to relatives, keep them
close to people, and for them to
not have an isolated life.
As in the city, people tend to live in
their own apartment, their own homes.
But they should have neighbors and
friends.
In some cases, kids whose parents are
on the verge of a divorce may suffer
more than those whose parents have
already made the split.
The old idea of staying together for the
sake of the kids may actually be harder
on children than divorce itself.
If I'm living with somebody that I want
to be living with for the sake of my
children, I may start
harboring some resentment about that.
And that would show up in my interaction
with my children, my lack of patience
with the idea with and,
uh, I can come across some very subtle
messages to the children.
And in a way, it's more of a dishonest
existence for the children.
And how do those kids then react?
Depending on how much stress they run
into?
They have stress reactions and troubled
families frequently spawn troubled
kids. But when parents are sensitive
to the pressures their kids feel, the
trouble can be minimized.
As the number of single parent families
grows, perhaps the whole definition of
family is changing.
And as parents and educators and kids
grapple with the new problems that come
with the new family's attention to new
solutions is sure to follow.
Kevyn Burger, Channel 5 Action News, Dallas.