What Single Parenting Teaches Children?

Single parenting can be difficult, but it teaches children invaluable lessons for life, says Kayalvizhi Arivalan

- Kayalvizhi Arivalan

A 2019-’20 UN Women report titled Progress of the World’s Women states that about 4.5 per cent of Indian households are run by single mothers. This is close to 13 million households in the country. But, to be a solo parent and raise a child—a responsible one at that—is never easy. Here are some first-hand experiences and learnings shared by single parents who have worked to raise their kids in a responsible way.

You’re raising caring individuals

‘Double parents’ is a term many parents raising children alone identify with. Priya Venugopal, founder of the Single Parenting group on Facebook, says she promotes that term as single parents might be single in status but do double the job. “My older son was only seven and the younger was one when my husband and I separated,” reveals Venugopal, a technology integrator with a school for the last two decades. “It has not been easy, but I ensured the boys had a secure and safe environment growing up. Children with single parents learn at a young age that their parent is working double the time to make ends meet. My sons started helping me around the house, doing age-appropriate chores very early; children are intuitive that way. They have a lot of compassion and kindness toward other children. They are also highly independent. By negotiating day-to-day challenges, handling emergencies, and being there for the child, a single parent shows their child that it is possible to live and thrive on one’s own.”