@Leona/ Bwenyeye - you have just stepped into the realm of the famous Nature-Nurture Controversy in psychology.
It is akin to asking: 'of which, nature or nurture, contributes more to an individual's personality? Or, which contributes more to the area of a rectangle, its length or its width?"

So its main thrust is: Are an individual's behavioural traits innate/ inborn qualities (thus nature) or are they shaped i.e nurtured, by the environment (parents, personal experiences,etc)?
Was Paul Tergat born an athlete or he learnt/ trained to be a world-class athlete?

If you believe in nature, then your behavioural traits were already programmed into your genes zamani n there's precious little you can do to change that behaviour - kama wewe ni mwizi, bad temper,lazy it is irreversible so get used to it!

Conversely, if you believe an individual's behavioural traits are learned and shaped by the environment then a person's behaviour can be changed. It means as babies they start on a clean slate (called tabula rasa) which gets filled up/moulded as time and experiences are accumulated to make up an individuals personality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/...i/Nature_versus_nurture
http://findarticles.com/.../is_0002/ai_2699000233/

@wote, I welcome corrections where wrong - pray attach your source as I've done

Ati upbringing daznt matter? Woi woi woi! Which schools taught such blatant lies? CAREFULLY READ the Bkismat's post! SLOOOWLY!!!

@simonkabz 999 posts! I think congrats are in order as and when you make your 1000th. @Wazua a present for this gentleman ;-)

@Impunity - sorry, but what drivel!

@Intelligentsia and others - thanks for shedding some light - I suppose the "apologists" of the single parent factor should eat copious amounts of crow.

@leona, I share your indignation - some people really!

I personally know two close family members that have been raised by a single parent and I think its really retarded to draw conclusions about children raised by single parents.

What is even worse is knowing how men take off and shirk their responsibilities when they learn their seed has taken root. Other than commit a sin and abort, what recourse to such women really have? And should we compartmentalize offspring of such.

What a crock of shit!!!