Although it may not be fair that on top of all the other 'extra' concerns single parents have on their minds, home security has to be another, the fact of the matter is that anyone watching or 'casing' your house for a robbery is bound to notice there is only one adult in the home. This let's a thief who is considering your home know that there are half as many adult eyes looking out for the property, and twice as many opportunities to catch the house when nobody is home. The solution is not to spend the entire day indoors, or quit your job and start day-trading from home, but to be aware of what a potential intruder is seeing when he looks at your single parent home.
The first thing to consider is how your gender affects your home security as a single parent. Unfortunately, a single mother is far more likely to be targeted even if she is in the home, since a burglar believes there is no risk or being physically overpowered. A single father is more likely to suffer a burglary when he is out of the home, since the burglar will want to avoid all contact and perceive the home as having more material goods. Pigeon-holing parenting roles by gender is never wise, and as any single parent knows both mothers and fathers fulfill parenting tasks and face challenges for both genders all across the board.
However, it is important to eliminate all but the visual cues that your home is in fact a single parent household. One example is having only one name on all junk mail. No matter whether you are a single mom or dad, sign up for some things like magazines or newspaper deliveries with a fake 'version' of you of the opposite sex. If you have recently separated from a partner, consider not canceling some of the subscriptions. While this can be emotionally trying, many thieves gather large amounts of information from clues like the mail, the phone book, and even the internet today.
Another major weak point of a single parent household is the amount of time the kids are left unsupervised. While it is perfectly acceptable to leave responsible children of an appropriate age alone at home, and is good for both their independence and the money saved by nixing a babysitter, remember that a potential home intruder can see that too. Instead of feeling like you are going it alone, get the kids to help out with the regular home security routine. Teach all family members how to systematically check that the doors and windows are secured and locked each time they enter or exit the house. Install a home alarm system to give the house the appearance of being safe, and warn the family right away when a potentially dangerous situation transpires. Save on babysitters and knock out the issue of a home security system at the same time with a two-way communicative security system. This way your family will always have a trusted adult to call on, even when you can not be there.