Protecting your child as a single parent

Children are innocent until the world changes them. With everything going on in the world it is hard enough for children that live in a family with a mother and a father. Unfortunately the divorce rate is on the rise with it being so easy and convenient for couples to do so. There are even books and television shows that will suggest divorce rather than work out your problems or differences. Couples with children often get divorced before they even think about what it might do to their child. Their are good reasons for divorces. If your Christian you'll find that there are a couple of reasons in the bible for divorce and when it is alright. However, when you get a divorce over an argument that could have been settled because that route is easier there is a problem.

This article is not about divorce, though it has started out to sound that way. This is about the children that often suffer after a divorce because their parents want to fight, or one of the parents are not fit to care for children. Often in a case when the divorce really was necessary, one of the parents are unfit and irresponsible. As a Private Investigator I run across many situations of this type.

My most recent case involved a father who had custody and noticed that his children were coming home with issues after being with their mother for her visitation. They began have nightmares and wetting the bed for days after going back home. The father noticed that they were no longer listening to him or his girlfriend, who was in a long term relationship with the father and never had trouble before. The children also mentioned that their mother was letting her boyfriend come over while they were there. In most cases this would not be a problem, but in this case there was a court order that the mother's boyfriend could not be around the children. The boyfriend was abusive, and he had even broken the mother's legs during an argument.

The father was afraid for his children and decided to hire private investigators to find out if his children were safe or not. It was discovered that the abusive boyfriend was with the children while the mother was. A friend of the mother testified, after finally deciding that the children's safety was more important than a friendship, that the mother and herself normally left the children with someone else and went out drinking when the boyfriend was to busy to come over. It was also discovered that the mother drank excessively while with the children. This is only part of the evidence that was brought up against the mother.

Parents, married or single, are responsible for the safety of their children. The fact is that both fathers and mothers are capable of putting their children in danger whether they are married or divorced. As a good parent it is important to keep an eye on your children and watch for changes that may be caused by abuse or neglect. Make sure that there is actually a problem before making an accusation. Good parents are becoming harder to find and it would not be ethical to report a good parent for anything other than the child's well being. Remember that as a parent your children are your number one responsibility.