Nancy S. James
CONTRAST OF TRADITIONAL FAMILIES VS SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
The traditional family pattern of father as the major wage earner, mother staying at home with several children, often grandparents of other relatives living in the homes contributing economically spiritually emotionally and therefore providing positive role models for children contributed to the basic stability of the family unit.
Due to this family structures most families thrived, male children had a father figure readily available to serve as a counselor and often as a friend. Without a father as a role models many boys learn about relationships from peers. They learn that girls are to be used and/or abused. Having a father is no guarantee, but without a proper role model boys will tend to treat girls incorrectly. Elijah Anderson’s 1920 study of street life concluded “boys view courting as a game in which the object is to perfect a rap that seduces girls. The goal: to add up one’s conquests since that’s the measure of respect. (Ingrassia 17) The mother was able to provide children with everyday living skills, supervision, and general emotional care. It should also be noted that grandparents contributed greatly to the stability of the children.
Although some families continue to function on this level , the American family has changed dramatically in the past. 40 years. The variant that we will concentrate on will be the single-parent teenage father, the conflicts this causes and problems that often involve the law.