There is so much talk constantly about those poor children growing up in single parent homes. Yes, for some children it is a really bad environment, but for most of those children it would be a bad situation even if they had both parents at home. Many times, the children of single parents who are in the worst situations are living with drug or alcohol addictions or poverty.
As a society we need to help those children and those families. All of us, single or married, parent or not, should do what we can to help each other. Sometimes children in a bad home situation just need another adult to show them that they can achieve more than they see, more than they ever thought possible.
What about the rest of our kids? Living below the median income does not make you a bad parent any more than having a six figure income will guarantee a perfect child. Life is what we make it and sometimes children raised by one parent on one income have more varied experiences simply because the parent cannot afford fancy camps and structured activities.
I believe that Hailey has learned life lessons because it was just the two of us and money was tight. She has also learned to make her own fun, much like I had to do as a child. I have also watched Hailey give to people less fortunate than she is because she understands that we are all struggling, some more than others and it never hurts to reach out a hand to another human being.
I’m not saying that children in intact families don’t learn to give and volunteer and entertain themselves. I just trying to point out that the quality of your parenting and the time spent with your child is more important than the name you slap on your family.
As parents we all have the same goals, we want our children to grow up to be intelligent, kind, well rounded, productive members of society. A divorce does not change the dreams you have for your children, or your ability to help them grow.