" A single parent family is when there is only one parent and the other parent is completely out of the child's life. It can be through death, sperm donation, complete abandonment of one parent, or no contact is ever made with the other parent. On the other hand, a single-parent household is when one parent has primary custody of the child or children but the other parent not living in the house is still part of the child's family. At first, this may be vague and can be mistaken as tantrums but eventually, this behavior will become more and more noticeable because it will manifest in other things as well as places not only at school but outside the home as well. - failed grades and repeated failure in completing school works. This is a very alarming symptom of the child who is greatly affected by constant fighting of his or her parents. The book is written by a veteran financial writer who is as a single parent knows the financial pitfalls of raising a child and building a family alone. Combining her experiences as financial writer and single mother, the author created a resourceful, level-headed and hilarious guide a single parent will need in daily life. This is not meant to scare you off your responsibility or to make you feel upset or depressed; it is meant to make you understand what you are going into so that you will be ready for the challenges ahead. 1. Financial situation This is perhaps what most single parents are having problems with. Remember that you do not only have to take care of yourself. Be honest Right at the get go, be honest with your date and tell them that you are a single mother or a single dad. Trust me, you will be saving yourself a lot of time and heartache if you say this at the start. Some people are just not ready for a commitment with people who already have responsibilities. Single Parenting Teenagers Many parents who have raised their children through single parenting say that teenagers are the ones that are hard to deal with. This is because they tend to be rebellious and demand for so much explanation when it comes to things as compared with younger kids. Experts agree that single parenting is much more difficult since parents have to deal with their children who have more issues, questions, and insecurities.