Children of single mothers

How do children from broken families fare in life. Usually someone from my times would tend to feel sorry for them specially if they are being brought up by a single parent or unsympathetic step-parents, guardians, foster parents.  But my perceptions are changing as I come across more and more such young people who have been brought up by single parents, mothers in most cases. 

Recently I had an opportunity to meet five such young men and women from different parts of India.  In all cases the mothers had not married and had independently brought up their children. A young girl said when their father left them it was difficult for them in the beginning but now she, her sister and mother were fine. Their father had left them and had never bothered to keep any contact with them. One young man said his elder brother was more than a father to him and he had never felt any vacuum in his life.  Another lively girl from the north-east mentioned that her mother was a hard working woman and now she was trying to find her place in this world. 

All these young men and women were well educated, confident and extremely candid about their life situation. While listening to them it did not once strike me that the adverse circumstances had broken them. They had accepted their life situation with maturity and calmness. They were proud of their mothers and were determined to prove themselves in life. I guess the lack of a father figure over and above their lives had made them practical and down to earth. I felt pleased and would have loved to congratulate these brave mothers.

In our times it was a rarity to come across such people. In my entire life I have not had a single friend who had come from a broken home.  Children used to make fun of parents who fought bitterly all the time but it was an accepted way of life. In middle class homes hardly any couples separated because of conflicting self interests. The world was a much more stable place. However those days are gone. In the past ten years I have met so  many young men and women in the workplace , in my extended family  and in my friends circle who have married and broken up . Some have remarried. But I know in case of several women it has not been easy to find someone appropriate. Most of these ladies are single and have not yet felt the necessity to remarry.