We live in a country that is becoming increasingly diverse in cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Yet despite significant development milestones South Africa still generates enormous waves of negative energies attributable to poverty, indifference, resentment, corruption and greed. Many families are in crisis; family members live in fear of violence, assault and robbery, and are constantly watchful of their safety. Similarly, the pace of our capitalistic existence has become almost unbearable, with many families hopelessly entangled in a continuous cycle of debt and poverty. Accordingly, stress has for many households become a recognized and socially destructive illness in South Africa, affecting citizens of all ages in different ways.
While raising and educating children is a challenge for most parents, the situation is especially difficult for families experiencing social and economic hardship, particularly single-parent households. The traditional two-parent family has by and large been replaced by the single-parent (usually the mother or grandmother) family; the percentage of female-headed households with children has increased most rapidly among our black population. The downside is that female-headed households become overburdened and struggle financially to make ends meet; juggling work, limited resources and family life impinges on quality time devoted to children’s basic education, family values, and other important family obligations. Statistics show that males are inclined to have little reverence for the females that raised them; and instead of gratitude and respect develop contempt for females in general.
Some blame the escalating level of delinquency, depression and aggression in the country on the ever-expanding norm of fatherless homes, where children are raised by mothers and grandmothers and have no father-figure to impose constructive discipline. Without discipline and boundaries children lack the tools necessary to navigate relationships and challenges in life such as self-discipline, respect for others, and the ability to cooperate with peers. Failure to discipline children often results in kids who are unhappy, angry, and even resentful. This often leads to drug and alcohol abuse and violent crime such as sexual assault; these children grow up with deep emotional scars because they feel forsaken. I don’t believe a parent intentionally neglects their child; they may simply be in the midst of their own traumas and chaos, such as an addiction, an abusive situation, poverty or disease. It may be that they don’t have the tools to be a dependable role model. The African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ succinctly articulates the powerful notion of collective responsibility towards our youth, but children raised in a healthy, two-parent home fare best.
A low-income parent is more likely to engage in inconsistent parenting practices; the economic well-being of the family rests on the mental and emotional health of the single-parent since financial strain intensifies stress, anxiety and depression. Yet despite these overwhelming disadvantages, the birthright of every person is access to constructive opportunities devoid of discrimination to gender, ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds and disability.
Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith. Contact Theresa (ecottage@gmail.com) for any writing and editing.
About Theresa
I’m a published author of four business books and have written a number of self-study tutorials [creative writing; editing and proofreading; business writing; and self-publishing] and an eBook [Workplace Harmony]. I am an experienced writer, editor and publisher. 
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