Double Entry Journal #1

Why are single parents bad? -Youtube

Quote #1: "I think that what people have to look at, instead of making those type of comments, is the caliber and the character of the parents."

Notes: There are plenty of children from single parents who are not criminals. You can have bad single parent families, but you can also have bad two-parent families. It's not necessarily single parents who are bad, it's the quality of parenting that matters.

Quote #2: "So at the end of the day, statistics are numbers, we are people. And as people, we have the choice to make a decision not to become criminals."

Notes: Parents provide the foundation for their children, but eventually there's a time when they have to make decisions on their own. I personally believe that blaming the parent isn't fair, even if they were what you consider to be a bad parent. Parents can only have so much influence on their children, because we are people and we have our own minds and thoughts. I think you'd clearly be able to distinguish right from wrong in our society fairly quickly and it's ultimately up to each individual to make decisions for themselves. For example, my mom never pressured me to get high marks or told me to do my homework every night, but I still did it because my gut and the people around me told me it was the right thing to do. I was able to consider the consequences and decide what to do, and I am ultimately responsible for my decisions and my actions.

Quote #3: "Just because you're from a single parent home, doesn't mean you won't succeed."

Notes: Like I mentioned above, parents only have so much influence on their children. They also aren't the only people who influence your child. They are only a small percentage, and the rest is made up by teachers, the media, friends, classmates, etc. Even if someone doesn't tell us what is right and what is wrong we are all capable of making that judgement, but whether we decide to do the right thing or not is up to us. I agree with her statement because I consider myself to be fairly successful, and my mom hasn't been with my dad in over sixteen years. I have managed to have an average over eighty-five since grade nine, and plan to keep it that way until I graduate. I take pride in my academics because I know what I do now has a huge impact on what I will be able to do in the future, and I didn't need both parents to figure it out.

Quote #4: "If you have a parent that loves you and that cares about you, you don't have to listen to closed minded people who are telling you that you're gonna become a criminal."

Notes: I slightly disagree with this statement. This is because a single parent- or just parents in general, are only a small portion of people who influence your child. Just because your parent loves you, it doesn't mean bad things will never happen to you. The decision to listen to their gut and to others is their choice, but I think children will usually go with what the majority says or thinks, not what is actually best (It's still their responsibility though). I know that she was trying to defend single parents, and I agreed with most of what she said, but I don't think this statement is true. As a result, it doesn't do a good job proving her point.