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Do you think living in a house without a man affects children?

Do you think the absence of a man in a house affects a child when they're growing up? If so, how?

Share your thoughts and experiences, please.

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Reply 1

LavenderBlueSky88

Yes. I'd have been much happier without one in my house.

Reply 2

zaback21

I can't image me growing up in a house without my dad. He has been a huge part of my life.

But I love my mom more.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3

AristoBrat!

Original post by LavenderBlueSky88

Yes. I'd have been much happier without one in my house.

I think so too, most of the time! Then my conscience kicks in and I feel guilty.

Reply 4

BAD AT MATHS

Nope. I grew up with divorced parents didn't effect me.

Reply 5

King Leonidas

Original post by LavenderBlueSky88

Yes. I'd have been much happier without one in my house.

Why?

Reply 6

LavenderBlueSky88

Original post by pinda.college

Why?

Oh you know: cold, emotionally abusive, needlessly strict, never happy with anything. The usual.

Bit sexist, tbh.

I think the responsibility of all parents is to ensure their children have a safe, nurturing environment and a well balanced extended family/social group: whose members can provide many different positive role models. In the absence of one kind of parent the children will have a substitute for that gender role around them.

Reply 9

Bodger & Badger

Yes.
We would have been so much better off if my dad lived with us. However, I know that my upbringing would have been very different, so I'm glad he didn't.

Reply 10

Ry_p94

Original post by LavenderBlueSky88

Oh you know: cold, emotionally abusive, needlessly strict, never happy with anything. The usual.

This is my dad all over, he's the main reason I can't wait to move out to uni.

Reply 11

Spontogical

Yes, both positively and negatively. Same applies for a child growing up with/without any individual tbh.

Reply 12

Gjaykay

I don't think it matters tbh. If I understood what you meant in that a child wouldn't be affected badly without a father.
Then again, some people just make terrible fathers, which could stop a child growing emotionally.

Reply 13

aspirinpharmacist

Well, I very much intend to adopt children/go down the IVF route if I don't look likely to have any kids once I'm 30, so I'm interested to see what people think of this, seeing as I'd be a single mum. I can't imagine what my life would be like without my dad though, although unless something terrible happens to my dad and my brother I'd definitely be bothering them on a regular basis so it's not as though my children wouldn't ever have any male role models. My parents are determined to spoil my children rotten, I'm probably going to end up telling them off for feeding my kids too many cakes.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 14

overthelove

My parents are separated and I have one sister. In terms of living without him, my sister and I have grown to be perfectly fine. There are some days when I'm like "Ah, I miss my dad" when I'm not as his house, and "Ah, I miss my mum" when I'm not at hers, and so I get angry, because things would be easier if they lived under the same roof!

Financially, things probably would have been better if they still were together. But from the various arguments my sister and I had to witness, we were better off without him.

It shouldn't really matter if a child grows up without one parent, and this should be regardless of the parent's gender. As long as the child knows it has one parent that loves it!

Reply 15

lyrical_lie

Doesn't bother me, I have my step dad but my mum, my sister and I were fine plodding along without a man.

Reply 16

Vox0

I think the absence of any parent in the household will change how that child develops, not necessarily for better or worse.

I know a few people who've grown up without fathers around and it's possible that the way they are is reflected in that: sometimes more feminine, different dress sense, different respect level for women, different personal values when it comes to women, different approach when it comes to socialising and friendship/relationships with women, different confidence levels etc...

I'm in no way painting a definite picture. Just my experience. I think two people, male or female, will shape that child's life more (EDIT: In a different way) than one alone.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 17

frodothehobbit

It depends on the child, all children react differently!

Reply 18

Anonymous #1

Whilst I was growing up I don't think I felt affected by it. I can only recall perhaps one incident where I was very acutely aware, and felt hurt by, the lack of a father.

Looking at it now I think that I would have benefited, and definitely my brother would have, from at least a strong male role model, not necessarily a father. I am a bit on the nervous, awkward side whilst my brother has a massive chip on his shoulder and a very pronounced selfish streak, which stems from him feeling our greater family (especially the males) did nothing for him when growing up.

Reply 19

thoyub

I wouldn't know really. But I have lived with the absence of a woman as my mother ran off when I was very young. I think it's affected me as a person. But I think I am better off without her than if she remained here, she was an alcoholic and a drug addict and that could have been a bad influence on me.

But it has affected me in the sense that I will definitely try to keep women away from my children.

If I had lived in a house without a man, I think I would have turned out differently that I have done although it would be impossible to tell how.