What makes someone a...?

[cjsmom1]

What makes someone a single parent? Is it someone who gets most of their financial support from their ex and they takes the kids every weekend? Is it the parent who gets no financial support but the other parent takes the kids half the week? And the list can go on and on. So I was wondering, in your opinion what makes someone a single parent?

I say parent because now-a-days there are a lot of dads raising kids on their own.

[cjsmom1]

That's how I look at it. But I see so many people who say they're single parents who have exes who help.

Quoting CheerBugg1585:

I view a single parent as the parent who raises the child more or less on their own, with little or no help actually rearing the child. If they only give child support they're an ATM, not a parent.

[mommyjenn84]

We split when are kids were young. I didn't view him has a single parent... Maybe because he did act like a parent at all while I took care of them all on my own and 90% of all their needs.

Yes a parent whos single IS technically a single parent, but honestly when I think of a single parent its someone doing most of the raising on their own.

[cjsmom1]

Thanks for commenting. After the first few comments I thought I was the only person who saw it this way. I guess it varies based on a persons interpretation.

Quoting CrystalYaris:

If you get help from the other parent (like them taking them on the weekends and some time during the summer, I don't see that qualifying eiter of them as single parents. They still have the help from the other half. I would be a single parent - my sons father has nothing to do with him. Never saw him, doesn't pay anything and doesn't care to ever see him. That is what I see qualifying a single parent.

[lenoxclan]

someone who has kids and takes part in raising them in any way(physically sees them) and is single