86% of Americans believe that children should have the benefit of growing up with both parents present, and 64% of Americans believe that a child being raised by a single parent is a serious problem. The steady rise in single parent households contradicts more than half of the American population. Years ago it was considered unacceptable to have a child out of wedlock, and divorce was nearly unheard of. Today, however, there are 9.5 million one-parent families as opposed to the mere 1.5 million in 1950. The number of one-parent families has increased by 137% since 1968. The question is: what is this doing to society and the future success of our children?
             Most all researchers believe that children raised in a single family home are:
             · More likely to live in poverty
             · More likely have behavior problems
             · More likely to have sexual intercourse at a far younger age
             · More likely to engage in delinquent behavior
             · More likely to experiment with drugs
             · More likely to be harmed by physical abuse or neglect
             · More likely to get divorced
             Children who are raised in a single parent environment must face parental and economic losses, life stress, parental competence and conflict on a daily basis. Clearly it is easy for a child in this type of situation to fall short of the expectations of American children today. For instance, a child who is dealing with the loss of a parent may lash out and disregard authority, as a child who is influenced by the stress of a single parent may not be able to concentrate in school. Later in life they might resort to drugs or sexual intercourse to fill the gaps in their lives. All in all, they may just follow the same route as their parents because that is all they know.
             It is sad to look at the statistics of children in a single-family home, but one must remember that not all children raised by one parent can be categorized as such....