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Experts believe that two out of every ten college students today are single parents, whether male or female. And the number of single parents in college continues to rise. This really shouldn’t be surprising since there has been a sharp and steady increase in single-parent families for several decades. Whether by chance or choice, single parenting is a popular lifestyle for adults today.
Today, more single parents are enrolled in college than ever before. Single parents face difficult challenges, and single parents who are also college students have additional stresses and demands to deal with.
Challenges for Single-Parent College Students
Single parents going to college face many obstacles and difficulties. The demands on their time exceed the amount of time they spend in the classroom. They must also study to achieve satisfactory academic performance. The pressure to perform in the classroom is exerted on them that they already feel from their home and child-rearing responsibilities.
Society may not recognize the additional burden. Being a single parent in college doesn’t change the societal expectations of attending parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, coaching the kids’ sports teams, and the host of activities expected of parents today.
And people may view single parents differently in college. Even if having children was a conscious choice, people may believe that single parents were irresponsible in their social and sexual behavior. Peers and professors may assume that single parents are wayward, creating even more problems for the troubled student. So while the stigma against single parents has largely disappeared in modern Western cultures, it may not be completely gone for single parents in college.
* Management Time
It is hard enough for single parents to handle crowded schedules and tight time constraints. There are so many expectations and demands, and the same 24 hours to fulfill them. For single parents going off to college, time is a precious commodity.
How they must deal with the need to study and maintain grades with the need to care for their children and give them a happy, healthy environment in which to grow. There may be conflicts in class attendance and extra-curricular activities of the children.
Exams can be scheduled on football games. They may have to choose between taking the child to the pediatrician and going to their own doctor about that bad cold. There are no easy options for single parents in college.
Time constraints affect more than the children and the family unit. The single-parent college student has little time to care for his or her own physical and emotional health. Getting regular exercise, a healthy diet, and getting enough rest can be impossible.
Finding the time and a quiet place to study can be one of the hardest parts of their day. Often, the reading doesn’t start until after the kids are asleep. This means losing precious hours of your own sleep. Balancing academic life and single-parent family is a herculean challenge.
* managing money
Single parents are already facing the challenge of being the main source of income for their families. Going to college adds a significant financial burden to an already strained pocketbook and budget.
As most of us know, college expenses are critical today. Tuition and fees, textbooks, lab fees, and transportation and parking costs eat into limited money for rent, groceries, and child care.
While student loans are available, they add financial burden to college students who do not have children. Mounting debt can be a necessary evil for a single parent going to college.
So is there any question why so many single parents drop out of college or get failing grades? Recent studies suggest that some single parents are choosing to put their children out for foster care or adoption in order to better their lives with college degrees.
Those who do not have supportive extended family or outside resources may be forced to make this heart-wrenching decision in order to give their children the best possible chance at life. The bitter truth of the matter is that single parents without college degrees may not be able to give their kids a normal life anyway.
No matter how tempted we might be to judge single parents who drop off their kids in college, it’s important to recognize and acknowledge their terrible dilemma. And for those who are able to pull it off, society deserves a round of applause.
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