Single Parents In The Odyssey

Imagine a life with two people there to support you and guide you through life, and now imagine a life with only one parent there to meet those needs. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus must leave his first progeny and wife to fight the Trojan war. Penelope must hold the burden of raising a son by herself and the son has to deal with the effects of this life. Telemachus must learn everything from his mother and also save his kingdom from the filthy suitors. Telemachus must find his strength, courage and hope to save his mother and his kingdom from the wrath of the suitors.

Children who grow up in a single parent home can have a sacrificed childhood, can grow up too fast and may need to learn life skills from others. Children of single

The single mother will need to obtain the responsibility of providing for the family, do maintenance on the house and be a caring parent, while only being one person. This can be highly stressful and it can have a negative impact on the mother and the children. This can cause a conflict in the house if the only parent in the house has been overwhelmed and has no time to relax.“Medina says she recognized right away that she didn’t have time to be the father and mother both”(Forestner 2). Telemachus’s mother was so busy trying to rule the kingdom and keep away the suitors, she did not always have the time to be with Telemachus. Telemachus decided to form friends with others in the palace such as maids and workers. Some parents have one of their older children become something equivalent to father or mother of the younger child and watch out for that child. The eldest child will also help around the house so there is not as much pressure on the particular parent. Single parents can feel the stress and pressure of being the only parent and can get overwhelmed. Penelope held strong and waited out for her husband with much faith and assurance that he would come back. Once she had waited 20 years, though her faith started to daunt because she believed that he wouldn't come back home. She then felt scared and insecure

They may only have enough money for the main necessities of life and not all of the other fun non necessity things because they may not have enough money. Though this is not bad, some kids could get teased for it or made fun of if they have used clothes or do not have the latest toys. Telemachus was lucky that he was the son of King Odysseus, but he still had to watch his home be destroyed by the appalling suitors. Telemachus also did not get the option to visit his father, because Odysseus was nowhere to be found. “Will the kids call him a sissy? Who’s going to buy him a car when he’s 16. And will he really need one?”(Forestner 2). Though children may feel embarrassed that they do not have all of the latest things, the mother will sadly also feel bad that she can’t provide her child with all of the things the child wishes for when she longs to give them everything they want. Children may also scarcely be able to visit their other parent because the cost of flying long distance can be too much for a one person income to afford. Not being able to visit or hang out with their father can have children grow distant from their father and they may not want a relationship with them later on in life. Mothers will have to come up with alternatives for their children to have a