Growing up in the south, being an African American male, and raised by a single mother shaped me in an unique way; a way that would be completely different from a white male the same age, same social class, and also by a single mother. Being raised by a single mother can be very difficult for both the parent as well as a child, but for generations these mother-child bonds have been generally successful. I’m the only child to a single mother as I mentioned earlier, the mother-child bond was strong. This of course had positives, but it had negatives as well. How my mother raised me was different in each life stage with their own positives and negatives. My earliest memories of my being raised are extremely vague now I do know that I spend …show more content…
The early adolescence was a troubling time for me the bullying continued, I wasn’t very social because it was very hard to fit in, because the African American students were the one that were bullying me, and I received racial undertones from the white students, and on top of this I changed schools so I knew no one coming into middle school which made the bullying more difficult to handle because I thought that something was wrong with me. My saving grace was the astonishment from my history teachers because of my love and knowledge of what was being taught. My home life and the relationship with my mother was the same as it was through the early childhood years, but the time with my maternal grandparents increased and that was worth it too, because they had a big yard which allowed for plenty of playing time, but I was still by myself most of the time, so my imagination skills were on point in those years. The late adolescent years of high school was a lot better. The bullying virtually stopped during the transition from middle to high school. In high school, I was making plenty of friends and the relationship with my mother was improving as well. I joined Air Force Junior ROTC which is a military course that simulates military service. Making this decision was one of the best decisions I could have ever made it basically became my saving grace. As I mentioned earlier, my relationship with my mother was improving and I can thank ROTC for that I succeeded in that program better than anything in my life before or since, but we did fight about my lack of enthusiasm for school work other than ROTC, so this brought the most valuable lessons she’s ever taught me and I keep this lesson in the front of my mind to this day. She told me since I’m a black man I can’t carry myself in any way, I must look presentable, be respectful of all people no matter race, ethnicity, or
Black males is a major reason why 70% of black children are born to single mothers compared to the national average of 40%. Studies show that the main reason why black fathers fail their kids is because they don’t get married, or don’t stay married with their original spouse. The black community are the least likely to marry any other race in the United States. Another reason why black father fail their kids is because a lot of the time their relationship with the child well depend on the relationship they have with their mother, if that relationship fails than more likely than not the relationship with the child will fail as well. From personal experience and in the community I live in. In Prince Georges County Maryland, the majority race
Families who have dealt with being a single parent typically see themselves being judged by other parents. For example, Jamie Rush a teen mom said "If he acts up, or if he falls over and bumps his head, I always think people are looking at me as if to say "It's because you're a teenager." (Rush 3). This shows that teen moms are trying their best and love their kids too. Schools are helping teenage single parents. Take the case of Jamie, after she gave birth to her son, she went to an alternative school with a built in daycare (Rush 1). This tells you that there is help for teens out there, but it's not always available to everyone. Socially speaking, one of the primary causes of single parents is because of one of the parent's death. Through research, we have found that the primary cause of single-parent households was because of parental death (Chamie 1). This proves that not all single-parent homes is because of teen pregnancies. As a result, there are many single parents struggling with being judged, or because of significant other's death. But there are schools, helping
Exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities make me think of about a million things that have happened throughout my short twenty-one years of life. In today’s society, it is very common for a child to grow up in a home where one of the parents is absent. In most cases, it is usually the father that is not present, particularly in African American homes. “In the United States today, 16,334,000 children under age 18 live in single mother homes,” (Fluty 4). Single parent homes affect children psychology producing negative effects on the child’s esteem, behavior, as well as education. Fatherless homes also take a greater toile particularly on boys, rather than girls.
Single parenthood has consequences on African-American families. In fact, statistics have shown that kids of unwed mothers of any race are more exposed to poverty, to go to prison, to perform poorly in school, use drugs, and have their own children out of wedlock (Washington, 2014). Single parenthood has also consequences for families’ health.
In those days, I could never comprehend how my actions warranted my removal. I was raised by a successful Black single mother who taught me at an early age what it meant to be a Black woman in today’s American society. The daughter of sharecroppers from Mississippi, education was always important to my mother. My grandparents worked hard to make sure she could receive the education they could not and in turn, my mother stopped at nothing to make sure my brother and I had the best educational experiences possible. She always encouraged me to use my voice, to ask questions and to stand up for myself. The middle school I went to was majority minority, mostly Black and Latino, but my Gifted and Talented classes were nearly all White. Having experienced microaggressions and in some cases blatant racism throughout her career, my mother quickly figured out she had to work that much harder being Black and female. She would constantly tell me to “be quicker, be slicker, be smarter”—essentially meaning to stay on your toes and two steps ahead of
To ensure the success of a child in a single-parent home, the child must have a strong relationship with his mother. According to a study on the effect of resilient single mothers of successful black men from absent-father homes, men who were successfully raised by single mothers have had the luxury of benefitting from “their mother 's hard work and efforts to raise them during their younger years,” which in turn strengthened their relationship (Wilson, Henriksen Jr and Bustamante). The author’s mother was always present in his life and was his support system. She
I do not like to share details about my life if I do not have to. This is not because I have things to hide; but honestly, because I do not think my life is as exciting or as remarkable as other people’s lives. I am the daughter of a hard-working Puerto Rican mother and a Dominican father that unfortunately is not part of my life. For some people, being the child of a single parent is rough. For me, it has been one of my greatest blessings. This experience has taught me about the real value of family, love, respect and acceptance. My mother has been my rock, my counselor, my greatest cheerleader and above all my best friend. The connection that we have is envied by my boyfriend and even some of my friends. Some people can think, that I hide my resentments with the relationship I have with my mother or that I simply do not have any, I do. Contrary to the majority of the people in my situation, I do not have the need to vocalize them and concentrate in the negativity that such feelings bring. I am not devout, but I did grow up in a Christian household and one of the many things that I was educated on, is that God works in mysterious ways. Perhaps, God’s enigmatic plan was for me to learn how to value my blessings in a different way than the kid that is raised in a two-parent
Summary: Singles mother hurt themselves and children by trying to show society that they are strong and that they can survive by their own. This source show us how kids can be affected in a bad way because of their mother status. When those women decide to bring to the family a new integrant, kids get hurt with their emotional and in their academy life as shown in this quote “ The more “transitions” experienced by a child — the arrival of a stepparent, a parental boyfriend or girlfriend, or a step- or half sibling — the more children are likely to have either emotional or academic problems, or both.” (Hymowitz, 2014)
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was a single mom raising two young children. At the same time, I was starting on a new career path and was not certain I would be successful. Making sure my children had a roof over their heads and food to eat were my top priorities. We had been living below the poverty line. My hope was this new career path would lift us up and set us on a new path to financial stability. A path where I would not have to worry about where our next meal was coming from. Those within the grip of difficult times may not know how they will feed their children. Feeding the hungry, especially children, is the purpose of my organization, The Saint Philomena Breakfast Kitchen, Inc.
Two pink lines. I gasped! I remember feeling overwhelmed, my body shaking from the excitement. It finally happened! My husband and I had tried unsuccessfully for a year, and finally, two pink lines. When I told him, he asked me over and over if I was sure. I was not sure how to react, since we had wanted it for so long. I knew being a mom was going to be hard, but I had no idea exactly how difficult it would be. I never realized how much life would change when I became mom.
Growing up with only one single parent is one of the most significant challenges that I have ever had to face. I have not only grown up without a proper father figure, but the struggles that my mother and family have had to overcome were challenging in itself. Single mothers, especially those that must provide for more than one child, are hard working individuals. Single mothers always put their family before themselves in order to support their families. I myself have witnessed the selfless deeds that my own mother has done. She works very hard to make sure that me, and my other two siblings, are not in need of anything. My mother makes sure that she had the ability to provide for her family no matter the conflict. As for myself, I have concluded that single mothers do not have to be dependent on someone else, they are capable of many things that break many patriarchal idea and thoughts.
I grew up in a single parent household, and was a part of one until recently when my mom decided to remarry my now step dad. Growing up in this type of household has affected me in more ways than one would like to believe. It has affected the way my family is seen by others, how we speak to one another, and has had a large impact on my education. It has also given me a bigger stressor than simply living and growing in a single parent household with my mom; it gave me separation anxiety because of how we ended up in this
I chose to interview a single mother of one son. She states the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect to her are marks and bruises, if the child appears scared to talk and often hold their head down. She states an abused/neglected to her looks like a child whose arms are low and down by their sides and the child walks in a straight line. The child present wearing dirty clothing, smells, and lacks good hygiene. To the single mother the biggest child abuse and neglect problem issue in Spartanburg County is related to the increase of parent use of methamphetamines. Positives for DSS are; DSS is placing children more with family members instead of placing children into the foster care system and DSS is better at seeking out abused and abused
My parents divorced when I was five, so I was raised in a single parent home by my mother. My aunt and mother both instilled in me what it means to be a strong, independent, God fearing woman. From the time I was born I attended church regularly, praise dancing and singing in the choir. Being able to touch someone while ministering the word of God is one of the greatest privliges I’ve had.
At this point the author is referring to the different connections that mothers and fathers have with each child. Mothers may have a better understanding with their daughters than sons, and vice versa. Not saying that single mothers are not worthy of rising a young man in a man, but there is a disconnect between the two. Usually that is why young African American males go out to the streets, because they receive a different type of love or affection from people out in the streets that they are not getting at home. Men and women have different thought patterns that coincide with parenting style. There is some stuff that only your mom can teach you and other stuff only your dad can. So once there is a continuation of this disconnect then it continue to be a generational things that can be displayed in the African American still to this day. This will have a long term effect whether that be conscious or unconscious it will carry him through his life.