The role of parents in the life of a child can never be downplayed, as they played a significant role in a child's upbringing, shaping their behavior, values, and future in the right direction. It's agreed that both parents play significant roles, but does that mean that, peradventure, if a child had to be brought up by just one of their parents, it would impact their upbringing or future in a way that's below those raised by both parents? In this article I'll be sharing my take on these topics and things that revolve around them.
Like I said earlier, the role of parents in the life of a child is enormous, and that's why I'll first begin with that before responding to the cocoa point of today's prompt. Parents are usually responsible for a child's basic needs, giving emotional support and love, brooding their education and intellectual development, nurturing them in a way that's morally and ethically acceptable in society, and instilling necessary guidance and discipline during misbehavior, among many others. These go on to impact the child's life in their personality development, academic and career success, emotional and mental well-being, social behavior and relationships, resilience, and problem-solving skills, amongst many others. Now, understandably, these responsibilities are enormous and can be overwhelming for just one parent to carry on their own, but does that mean they can't, or won't, do it well if it comes to that?
So now back to the focal point of this topic: can a child raised by a single parent be well raised or amount to something meaningful in life like those raised by both parents? My response to this is that it doesn't matter how many parents raised a child, because if it's one or both, the future of a child depends on their upbringing and the way they are being nurtured at during their tender age. It's worth noting that being raised by both parents isn't an automatic ticket to a well-raised, cultured, and responsible child. We've seen many riffraff on the street, and when you look into their upbringing, you'll find out they were raised by both parents.
To back up my point, I would have given a list of people who had both parents and yet grew up to become a menace to society, showing the fact that being raised by both parents doesn't assure a good upbringing or behavior by the child, and on the other hand, we've got a whole list of people who were also raised by a single parent and yet amount to someone renounced in society. Take, for example, Nollywood actress Bimbo Ademoye, who has, on several occasions, talked about how her mother abandoned them (she and her elder sister) when she was just two years old, and despite that, their dad singlehandedly raised them and gave them the best of everything. To this day, you can see how much she loves her dad and sings his praise whenever she talks about him.
I can go on and on with the list of notable people, well-to-do celebrities, politicians, and businessmen and women who were raised by a single parent and yet turned out well, showing that it's not about the quantity of the parents but the quality of dedication invested in raising the child; that's what matters, and that's why I said even if both parents raised a child and didn't dedicate their all towards the upbringing of that child, he or she might grow up to become a menace to society or someone who's just well-mannered and the like.
All photos used in this article are mine.