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Me and Mama
"Without a father around, I’m missing some life lessons only a father can teach, like how I should be treated by boyfriends."
By Imani Mann
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In a world where almost 50% of marriages end in divorce, it can seem like single parent households are the norm. In this reflection, Youth Radio's Amani Mann brings a youth perspective on what it's like to live in a single parent household. Amani explains the unique economic and social difficulties her family faced growing up with their mother as the (only) head of the household. (August 26 on Atlanta's WABE)
My mother has a lot on her plate. She is the only provider for me and my brothers. She has to worry about managing her money and surviving on just one income for the house. I’m sure things wouldn’t be as stressful if she only had a husband.
I feel the stress too. Without a father around, I’m missing some life lessons only a father can teach, like how I should be treated by boyfriends.
Having a single parent makes me feel a little less fortunate, financially and emotionally. My mom’s income isn’t enough to spend on many fun things for her kids, like exciting vacations. To me, it seems as if kids who have two parents have nicer clothes or a big house with a luxury car on top of the hill.
I know some people who have the perfect life: they have two parents that support them. Their parents can provide more because they have two incomes coming in. But it’s more than money. My mother is the only person I can turn to for advice, so she has to be as wise as two parents would be.
- Youth Radio Atlanta is produced in cooperation with WABE and funded in part by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
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