It's not like they're bad parents, according to the University of Maryland. Okay, let me rephrase that. It's not like they're not trying as hard as married parents. I'll explain in a minute.
It turns out that single mothers spend 83%-90% as much time caring for their children as married mothers. It's understandable that they have less time to spend with their children, but researchers were surprised to see that single mothers came so close to matching the amount of childcare time that married mothers provide. True, the constraints of their jobs can dictate how much time they will have available for their children, but some single mothers appear to be able to rely on support networks outside of traditional marriage to help them balance their work and their families.
The whole "bad parents" thing? Well, let's just say that time spent with your children doesn't automatically make you a good parent. There are plenty of bad parents--both single and unmarried--who spend lots of time with their kids. They still do a crappy job.
2 comments:
Oh that is really true...I always get compliments on my little one's manners and how well they speak...but somehow a do a worse job than a married mother??? no thank you ...great post
Hi, Charmed!
Thanks for stopping by!
I don't know why the researchers were surprised in this case. If anything, single moms are more motivated to spend time with their children than married moms, and when you're motivated by your children, you Make Things Happen.
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