I had a conversation with one of my friends a few days ago. I had to ponder on his thoughts for a while because of his confession to me. He confessed that he did not think well about single parents. I questioned why? He stated that they are always needy. They can’t handle their children. They come into your neighborhood and make the value of your homes go down. Because they can’t handle their children, their kids tear up everything. “Wow!” I responded. Again, I had to ponder on his honesty, as well as appreciate it. Yet, I sought for grace and mercy as if it lived within him somewhere. I was sure it did. Yet, he was stuck on his views.
I assessed his point of view by thinking of all that he has accomplished and worked for. He is retired now. He is married with adult children, lives in quiet a neighborhood, and tries to maintain what he has. Mmmm? To some degree, I can understand his point of view of valuing what he worked hard to achieve. I value what I have worked hard for also. However, at the same time, I struggle with the lack of understanding he and others have toward the life of a single parent. I also struggle with the stereotypes and labels placed on single parents all too often. Not all single parents are the same…their values, income, education, beliefs, parenting, etc. Finally I shared the concerns he mentioned are the same for some who are married with children.
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