The life of a military man can become more complicated and involved when he is also a single parent. The military demands that a soldier must be ready to go anywhere he is ordered to go without delays that might be caused by family matters. This paper points out that the Family Care Plan provides a solution for a single father should he be suddenly called upon to travel. This paper covers other issues with regard to a single dad as a parent as well.
¶ … parent with a young child and a demanding job -- whether it is a mother or a father -- has challenges that a family with both parents on board does not experience, in most cases. And when you add to the equation the fact that the single parent in this case is a male in the U.S. Army, there are complications and serious work-life balance issues to be addressed. After all, the health and care of the child in question must be at the top of the list of priorities, along with the employment of the father and the balance of the conflicting challenges and issues.
As a single dad with a young child, I already face challenges when it comes to raising my child, providing a good home and good health for the child; but in addition I am in the U.S. Army and my duties and responsibilities necessarily conflict with the time I need to spend with my child. My job in the U.S. Army can take me away on a moment's notice, so I am hopeful to link up with an appropriate Family Care Plan.
Purpose Statement
I am taking on this research not only for my greater understanding of how a single father copes with finding childcare, being home for my child, preparing meals for the child and spending quality time as well. Moreover, I am researching this issue because I need a broader understanding of what the literature provides in terms of others in my situation, and in terms of solutions for daily problems that I have to tackle as the only on-site parent of a child.
The project will entail the scholarly literature on the subject, a critique of the most pertinent points in the literature, and within the available literature I will hope to locate solutions to the constant problem I face -- a way to balance work and life with a young child as the beneficiary of my knowledge on this subject.
Research Questions
QUESTION ONE: What do single parents find works for them when it comes to balancing work and the needs for the child -- and what does the published scholarship reflect vis-a-vis the work-life balance that single parents seek and need?
In the peer-reviewed journal Human Relations Management the authors point out that a "mismatch between family and work roles" can lead to levels of stress along with: a) "…feelings of burnout"; b) Job satisfaction levels that are lowered considerably; c) poor work performance; d) a falling off of commitment to one's employer; and e) the possibility of absenteeism that is due to "work-family conflict" (Lieke, et al., 2010).
Of course when a person is in the U.S. Army, being absent from work, or exhibiting a poor work performance is problematic and frankly unacceptable; that said, the levels of stress are considerable when a male single parent is attempting to balance military obligations along with the needs (emotional, psychological, family-related and health-related) of the child involved.
Reliable sources of childcare facilities and previously secured arrangements for the child when the father is away on a military assignment can and do reduce stress, and the authors offer two "opposing theories" that deal with work and family and stress. Those two are "the conflict approach" and the "enrichment approach" (Lieke, 174). In the conflict approach it is assumed that when work and family collide as they do in this paper, conflict is inevitable; the enrichment approach suggests that a good family life can enrich one's work life, since it produces "several resources" (Lieke, 174).
Those resources include personal and social fulfillment, and skills, which become more important to the single father because at home there is a child that depends on him for sustainability and love. In the conflict theory, the actual conflict occurs because increasing time and energy in one role (for example, as a single dad) tends to decrease the time and energy for the second role (as a member of the U.S. Army). In this case, what I am trying to do is to maintain strong and consistent strengths in both roles. That said, it is true that a good family life can bring respect -- which is enrichment -- and fulfillment, and energy, and these become motivations for better results at work (Lieke, 175).
QUESTION TWO: What advantages are there for a single father with a child to becoming involved with the Family Care Plan?
You’re 79% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.