Single Mothers In Today?s World Essay, Research Paper

There are so many young mothers in today?s society that it?s becoming so normal to have a one-parent family with a young mother in charge. Young teen mothers having children has increased so much over the years that it?s now a regular thing. Being a young single mother in today?s society is challenging but with the help of government assistance single mothers are finding their way.

The government has provided some help for these mothers with welfare. Welfare is a program for single parents with low income, so low that they can?t support a family. Welfare helps with all childcare needs. They give the young mother food stamps for shopping at the grocery store and earned income tax credit. They play a big roll in helping these young mother collect child support from the absentee fathers. Although they have had a lot of trouble in finding jobs for these young mothers because they only have a high school diploma they always manage to find something. They try to help these young mothers who don?t still live with their parents find an apartment. After welfare has helped them find work they do not stop helping then. They continue giving money and other needs for a mother and her child. ?Welfare helps with child care to 60% of American families with children, which proves how many single parent families we have.?(Bergman et al)

The United States Government provides healthcare for a mother and her child before and after her baby has arrived. When the child starts school or day care the government provides school health services. Just recently the government has begun to pay for the hospital care for the birth of her baby, if and only if she has no family to help her pay for it.

When the child becomes older these mother and their children are fortunate enough to have the government also pay for psychiatric guidance if needed. An absentee father figure in the home brings about a chain reaction of dilemmas. Many children tend to be effected mentally because these powerful emotions have the potential to do permanent damage in a child?s life. Children may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school and eating or sleeping disorders. Some children may also suffer from various social difficulties and self esteem problems that can come along with having only one parent. Females who grow up without fathers in the home usually end up having pre marital sex. They subconsciously want to make up for the affection they didn?t receive from their fathers. Or girls may even grow up to hate men because of unconscious resentment toward absent fathers.

A study has shown that these young mothers are struggling with their time and availability for their child and their needs. This study has come to conclude that single mothers usually spend only 3.4 hours with their children. These mothers spend most of their time with work, school, yard work, and housecleaning.

Leigh Thawley a twenty-three year old mother of a 4 month of child says ? I feel like I have so many things to do in such little time and not enough time to even watch my child grow.? Another major thing that affects time with their children is ? They feel the need to look good so they spend a lot of time fixing themselves so they can feel pretty and attract men.?(D?Amato) ?I try hard to put my child ahead of myself but it is hard to because all I?ve ever had to do was worry about myself and I?m still so young that I don?t really know how put me last? said Thawley.

In addition to problems of availability, mothers experience financial troubles with their children. In a suburb in Denver young mothers are having not choice but to move away to be able to get affordable housing. In moving away to get affordable housing these mothers and children are being away from family and putting more where and tear on their cars which is going to end up costing them in the long run. ?In 2000, Boulder County 25% live in single parent families and 13.9% of them are female headed.?(Glairon, Suzan) In Boulder County there?s a free lunch program for families with low income. In Boulder Valley School 12.7% of there students are available for this program and in St. Vrain Valley School 19.5% were also available for this program. Even in this low-income neighborhood these young mothers are struggling to get ahead with their children.

A lot of men try to run away from the problem. They then reject their children and neglect to provide any kind of financial assistance for them. The mother is ultimately left alone to juggle the task of raising the children and earning all or most of the family?s income needed to support them. Having a child with no father can be traumatizing in their future lives. Teenage mothers often raise children who never learn how to live productive lifestyles. Negative elements like drug addiction and the crime scene to be the only outlets that are available to lonely, confused children who live in poverty- stricken cities. For many of these children there are only the options of dead-end jobs, jail, or early death. Most children who are born in to this world by a young teenage mother often have their own children at a young age too.

The reality of single mothers in America in 2000 allows for assistance from the government but does not change the statistical reality of the outcome for the children without the fathers influence. So in conclusion, fathers need to be an apparent influence in order for children to have more security about themselves.

Bibiography

1.Bergmann, Barbra, R; Hartment, Heidi I. ?A Program to Help Working Parents.?

Nation Master File Premier on line ebsco publishing 27 March 2002

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2.D?Amoto, Luisa ?Single Mothers Spend Less Time With Kids? Toronto Star pg. Li14 Newspaper Source Ebsco Publishing 27 March, 2002

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3.?Family Health Care? Encyclopedia Britannica on line, 1994-2000 25,march, 2002

4.Glarion, Suzan ?Single Parents Need More Flexibility at Work.?

Daily camera, 8 February 2002: Newspaper Source Ebsco Publishing 27 March, 2002 ehost / login. Html>

5. Leigh Thawley. Personal interview. 14 March 2002