The family is the smallest unit of the society, yet the most important. A typical family consist of a father, mother and their children. This type of a setting is commonly called the “nuclear family “. This family type has taken over from the traditional extended family which was prevalent in Africa.

Parenting has to do with the skill of taking care of a Child as a parent. This include but not limited to providing shelter, clothing, food and education for a child, BUT includes showing love and affection to the child, ensuring the physical, social, spiritual and emotional development of the child, as well as impacting the right values on the child.

Since a family consists of a father and a mother, it is only proper that both partners perform the task of child rearing collectively.

However, this is not the case in our society today.

The idea of single parenting has to do with a situation where a child is raised up by one parent, mostly the mother. A lot of reasons such as the death of a partner, distance as a result of a vocation, family dysfunction (divorce)etc, as well as conception and delivery out of wedlock are likely to create an atmosphere where just a parent is to be present in the life of the child.

It is to be noted that most cases of single parenting fall under the last category. It is worth noting that some of these children are given birth to by other children who still need protection and support of their parents, hence, the question of vulnerability arises here.

Most often than not, children raised by single parents lack proper love, care, attention warmth, unconditional regards, and other rights belonging to them, as well as societal values. Some of these children are not valued as human beings even by the parent because of the circumstances of their birth. Additionally, some of these children are even left on their own to share the burden of parenting even at their formative ages, thus, they grow up in great distress simply out of their quest to make life worthwhile.

Furthermore, such children have the society to cope with. At school, the playground, and even among peers, they are subjected to ridicule and silly questions bothering on their family.

As a result, some of these children often resort to a life waywardness, delinquency and retreatism from societal goals and values. In a more appropriate sense, some of them turn out to be conduct children in a form of attention seeking from neighbours, family and significant others. While some tend to believe that life is unfair and unjust to certain members of the society, and since they have been rejected by the society that ought to take care of them, it is better to become a nuisance to/in the society.

Nevertheless, society ought to treat all its members with fairness and consideration. Human beings must live up with the consequences of their actions, especially the male gender who will only want to indulge in sexual activities, but not willing to invest in the outcome. Our inability to protect children amongst us is a problem we have created and there is a need for us to face it (Machel, 2000)

It is generally believed that children who enjoy the love, support, and discipline of both parents, turn out to be cultured members of the society, as such, society benefits from their proper upbringing while those who have not enjoyed the comfort of both parents and parental roles end up more a less a nuisance to the society.

M. J. Jabbe, Esq

Legal practitioner, public affairs commentator, civil, Political ,and Human Rights crusader.

08134069256,[email protected]

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Impact of Single Parenting on the Development of a Child – M. J. Jabbe, Esq