Is the stigma true: single-parent women cannot successfully raise boys to be men w/o a father figure?

Question

Are there any successful single-parent women out there than want to share their tactics on how they raised successful boy(s)?

I have been a divorced single-parent for the past 13 years and he father has never been in his life at all. I am seeing what people have told me in the past that there will be a time when my son will want to try to stand up and overpower me.

Are there any men out there who are willing to offer me some advice?

Answer 1

No!

I don't know why but I think boys raised by single mums always turn out nicer to women than others because in 2 parent families the women often does all the housework etc. and the boy picks up on this!

Answer 2

My wife raised her two boys alone until we married.  She gave them the strong underpinning.  My addition to the "raising" was only secondary.  It is, indeed, possible for a single mother to train a boy to be a decent man.

Answer 3

My husbands father left when he was 8.  His mom still took him camping and fishing and all of that.  His mom also made sure to teach him to respect women as well as others.  He is really great with our daughter and is a great husband as well as father.  You need to make sure you teach him that you are his mother, and you are the boss.

Answer 4

So not true, honestly.  If you raise your child to respect you then he will.

Answer 5

No more true than a single parent man cannot succesfully raise girls to be women without a mother figure.

SOMEBODY needs to teach your son how to be a man, otherwise he will get his instruction from pop culture and his friends (I think you know how well that works out).

A woman can teach a boy to be a man, but it's easiest if that is done by a man (not necessarily the father). It could be an uncle, grandfather, cousin, or even step-dad.

The bottom line is that a boy NEEDS a role model in his life willing and capable of showing him how to behave properly as the foundation of the man he will become.

Answer 6

I really hope it's not true, I'm pregnant with a boy, and his father up and left me when he found out...  So this boy is going to be raised by me and only me.

I have a lot of friends who are men who were raised without fathers, they aren't all perfect, but some are doing pretty well.  I think it all depends on what we do as mothers, to raise our sons well.

That question kind of scared me!  If you have any advice for me, let me know... My only advice is what I keep telling myself, "Do the best you possibly can"...

Answer 7

I raised my son alone - he is now 33 and has been in the Navy for 14 years.  He is a fine, upstanding guy - he is married for 6 years now - he is happy, she never has to worry about him doing the wrong thing.  Oh, we went through a phase but it all works out.  I was very lucky in that my Dad was an excellent role model for my son.