Why Single Mothers

A Single Mothers Triumphant Story: How Sports Helped these Single Mothers

A Single Mothers Triumphant Story: Coretta Scott King

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King left Coretta to raise Martin and her four young children as a single mother. A single mother of 4 with everyday challenges was determined to overcome what men thought was defeat. Ms. Coretta Scott King continued Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy by establishing the King Center. The fact that Coretta had the wherewithal to start the Center that today spans across 23-acres within months of her husband's assassination serves as a testament to a single mothers courage and strength.

In 1985, during the apartheid in South Africa, Coretta Scott King was arrested at the South African Embassy in Washington, DC for protesting for racial equality in South Africa. Not content to rest on her laurels, she led the King Center and the organization's various initiatives through until 1995 .

Coretta Scott King passed away on January 30, 2006 her life will continue to be a testament to single mothers, to withal you have in you, fight. Turn your tragedy into a triumphant story, it's possible.

WHY SINGLE MOTHERS:

According to Custodial Mothers and Their Child Support: 2007, released by the U.S. Census Bureau in November, 2009, there are approximately 13.7 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today).

Single mothers aspire to educate themselves and find well-paid employment. There is not enough affordable housing for single working mothers and their families. "This is not the picture of single mothers most Americans have in the back of their minds," "Single mothers want to be educated, to find better jobs, and see their children succeed -- and they work very hard to try to make that happen."

WHY SHOULD WE CARE

According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics survey; Child care can be pricey, averaging $13,967 per year, or 12% of the median income of families with children under 18.

There are more than 10 million single moms in this country, all raising children under the age of 18. Regardless of their circumstances – widowed, divorced, or never married – these women are responsible for a huge percentage of our future citizens.

Custodial single moms are more than twice as likely to raise their kids in poverty And even if they are living above the poverty line, the majority of single moms lack an education beyond the high school level. The statistics are alarming, because poverty and lack of maternal education both have a proven, negative impact on kids’ academic achievement and social behavior.

Besides creating professional and financial dead ends for single mom families, low quality jobs are less stable – adding unemployment anxiety to an already difficult situation.

More than 10 million women in the US are single working mothers—9 million of whom earn less than $40,000 a year.

49.8% work full time, year round and 29.7% work part-time or part-year

$39 billion dollars is owed in back child support to 29 million children of single parent women.

45% of all single parent women hold down more than one job.

More than 12 million women in the US are single working mothers—10 million of whom earn less than $40,000 a year.

In Chicago, the number of single working mothers has grown 44% since the last census. Their average income is $19,000—barely half the amount to cover a family's basic needs.

They are hard-working: More than two-thirds work 40+ hours a week.

They feel a tightening financial squeeze: More than half spend 50% or more of their income on housing. As a result, they spend 42% less on healthcare and 33% less on food for their families.

They are independent: Fewer than 5% receive public assistance.

Stated By: Amanda

We ask what is a single mother? Is she a woman with much strength and love or pain and fear? Perhaps the angel beneath the pain.

Could she be a woman of much style and grace?

One thing is for certain; no one can understand what a single mother is unless they experience the feeling themselves. A single mother is a woman who is filled with everlasting, unconditional love, and words of wisdom to guide the way through life.

A single mother doesn't recieve much credit today for the way she dedicates her life to working long hard hours and making time in her busy schedule to take care of what is hers. She goes through life trying so hard to do her best for her child, yet sometimes she feels as if the world is caving in, although one thing goes up, another one comes down.

For instance; she might get a raise at work but then the bills pile up. She has no financial support. She struggles to put food on her table and a roof over family's head. The only thing that keeps her family alive and well is her and her love.

People with traditional standards always seem to say, " How dare she bear a child alone with no husband!" They don't understand the concept that life doesn't always turn out the way we planned. We don't always get what we want.

Very judgmental people snarl and stare as the single mother walks by with her beautiful little girl for whom she has sacrificed her life. If she needs a jacket or a pair of shoes, yet her child does too, her child comes first. She puts all of her wants and needs aside for the sake of her child.

I've had a single mother for twenty difficult years of my life. It wasn't easy for either of us. I had to grow up quicker than most kids so that I could help my mother. Thoughts of not having a father became an issue from time to time, but today I wouldn't change it for the world!

When I was a little girl and I fell and scraped my knee; good old mommy was there to doctor me up with her tender touch and loving care. She tucked me into bed at night and rubbed my belly when I was sick.

When adolescence was my stage in life, grammar school wasn't so easy for me because my classmates used to tease me and laugh at me because I didn't have what they had. It always seemed as if I was alone.

But when the time came to cry, my mom had a way of showing me how to take my hanging head and hold it up high and proud.

Some say a mother is one who bears children, one who cooks and cleans and that's all she is here for. For me, she's the soothing of the soul and the healing of the heart.

A mother: a kind-hearted woman with much strength, wisdom, and integrity.

Single Mothers at Greater Risk for Depression

There are two primary areas that catapult single mothers into depression. These are:

1. Increased number of life stresses
2. Decreased amount of social support
Through this research we find that single mothers are at greater risk for depression. What the research did not address was the Catch-22 that single mothers are in. Observing all that a single mother does throughout a day, its completely understood that it is exhausting. A single mother often does the work of three people on any given day. There does not appear to be a way out, except through the care of the She Cares Foundation and your support. If you are a single mother reading this, be encouraged to know that someone cares and we will do our best to alleviate as much pressure as possible.

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