How to Deal With Children With Single Parents
- 1). Expect parent involvement in a child's activities to be every bit as frequent and close as in families where two parents are involved. Lowered expectations of single parents will not help the children. Educators need to encourage single parents to be involved with their child's work in the same ways they would encourage a two-parent family.
- 2). Examine your own feelings regarding divorce, death and single parenting. Often, our own prejudices and misgivings about single-parent families color how we deal with children from such families. It is important for adults who work with children to see how their own feelings and opinions about parenting and marriage might influence their expectations of the children, and how they speak to and treat them.
- 3). Learn about how children cope with divorce and grief. Many studies and resources are available for adults to learn about the grieving process that children undergo when parents divorce, or when there is a death in the family. Becoming familiar with the emotional and psychological process the child is experiencing will help you deal with the child's behavior in a compassionate, effective manner.
- 4). Look for changes. Observe your students or young charges carefully, and identify changes in mood, appearance or behavior. Even a change for the "better" -- to quieter or more compliant behavior -- can be indicative that a child is reacting profoundly to the loss of a parent. Bring changes up to the child's parent if you have the opportunity.
- 5). Keep in contact with parents. Don't let excuses, such as the stress a single parent might be under, stop you from communicating your concerns about a child. Also, keep parents abreast of a child's triumphs and progress, and encourage the parents to be in touch with you about anything that will affect the child's behavior when he or she is under your care.