Reply to What does "single parent" mean?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]For the life of me I do not understand why people find this hard to define. If you are single and parenting -- no matter how you got that way be it [b]divorce[/b], never married, widowed -- you are a single parent. This is not rocket science. The answer is in the question and in the term. [/quote]

This is usually the differentiator.  In a divorce, presumably, there is a father.  The father shares the the financial responsibility of the child.  The father may also spend time with the child giving the mother some alone time.  In a windowed or single mom by choice situation, this isn't the case.  If they want adult time, they have to hire a sitter.  All of the financial responsibilities fall to them as do all of the decisions that are made in raising the child.

That's not to say that just because someone fathered a child, he is involved, financially or otherwise.  But the obligation does exist.  Whether he fulfills it or not, is a different story. [/quote]

But if I'm unmarried, therefore single, and a parent, I'm a single parent. That's what the words mean. You can feel however you like about them, but it doesn't change the definition of single or parent.

Why do we need to label everyone anyway? This is such a silly argument to have.

The above argument bothers me. We all know of divorced parents who check out. You could just as easily say that the deceased parent was obligated to have enough life insurance to provide for the child in case he or she died, so the living parent shouldn't be left with an undue financial burden. Even if they do, it doesn't mean single parenting isn't hard. Just like if a divorced parent pays child support, it's helpful but it's still hard to be a single parent. [/quote]

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