Can a single parent raise a successful child? What is considered common in society, family dynamics are no longer the norm. However, are the children of today's single-parent families doomed to failure? For centuries, studies have claimed that children raised in a home with a father and mother do better than children raised by a single parent. They claim that a single parent cannot raise a successful child. Research claims that children living in single-parent families do not do well in school and have mental health problems. David Batty wrote an article claiming that children raised in a single-parent home were twice as likely to develop mental health problems as those who lived in a single-parent family. children raised with married parents. An article written by Mark Bara states that a study showed: A large majority of studies reviewed show that children from single-parent (SP) families perform lower on tests of cognitive functioning and standardized tests, receive lower grade point averages lower and complete fewer years of school when affected. compared to children from two-parent homes (TP). Studies that have focused primarily on single-parent families from birth have typically focused on families in which the parents were young, uneducated, and poor. This is not always the case. Most of these studies and research need to be updated. Times have changed, there are more single parent households than ever. According to the U.S. Census (2009): Of the 35 million households in the United States with children under the age of eighteen, more than 10 million, or nearly one in three, are headed by single parents. Of these, 8.7 million households are headed by a single mother and 1.5 million are headed by a single father. Many single parents raise successful children. Alicia Keys......middle of article......chiatry and psychiatric epidemiology 47.11 (2012): 1707-715.Friesen, Karen. Facts about single parents. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/single-parents-4202.htm. Batty, David. “Single-parent families double the risk of mental illness in children.” Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, February 21, 2006. Web. December 2, 2013.Barajas, Mark S. “Academic Outcome of Children Living in Single-Parent Homes: A Critical Review.” » The Hilltop Review 5.1 (2012). Kennedy, Marge M. and Janet Spencer. King. The single-parent family: living happily in a changing world. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994.Miller, Naomi. Single parents by choice: a growing trend in family life. New York: Insight, 1992. Kashani, Javad H. Raising Happy Children: A Parent's Guide. New York: Trois-Rivières, 1998. Levine, Madeline. Teaching your children well: parenting for authentic success. New York: Harper, 2012.