Having an only child?

Question

Do you think having one child is smart? Do you think they would ever get lonely as they grow?

Is there anyone out there with only one child - how do you feel about it, do you ever wish he or she had a sibling?

Answer 1

I have friends with no siblings and they have pets to keep them company.

Answer 2

i am an only child and there is nothing wrong with it you get more attention i have 2 younger cousins that are really close to me and they are my "sisters" but i am glad i am the only child!

One child migt be bored sometimes but think about how many less fights you would have to deal with you kknow what i mean if you have 2 kids they could be fighting over toys and attention so save the stress!

and when you get 4 packs of things your child can invite a friend to go along which is always fun also!!!!

Answer 3

I was an only child, and was fine with it when I was young.  But now that I am older, I wish all the time that I had siblings.  It was very hard when my parents were sick and old, not having any brothers and sisters to help me make important decisions.  I would love to be sharing stories about my childhood with siblings around the Thanksgiving table, too.   This is one of the reasons I now have three kids myself.

Answer 4

i am a only child.. i am 69 now and all my life i wished i had a brother or sister.. my parents are dead and i am not married.. and i dont have a family to turn to.. so if you can have another fine.. but if not let the child come in contact with another family member his or her age.. i grew up in phila. and i had to go to catholic school. because then the blacks did not like anyone lighter than them.. so i grew up alone.. i am use to it now but it would have been a much nicer life to have someone to play with and to talk to and help... ok gilermo.

Answer 5

My grandson who lives with us is an only child. He has no cousins and we have no kids his age in the neighborhood. He is soooooo lonely. He is six now, and even if my daughter gets married, she most likely will not have any more children due to health reasons. I almost wish we could adopt a brother for him. He really wants someone to play with.

Answer 6

I have one son and I dont intend to have anymore.. however, I am one of four siblings!

Being an only child has its pros and cons - my son gets all the attention he needs from me without me having to spread it across 2 or more children however, he is missing out on the social interaction you get with brothers or sisters - even if it is only fighting!!  I dont think a single child knows how to deal with certain events - like other kids being cheeky or having to share stuff.

He has plenty of cousins his own age he can play with but its not the same companionship you get with a sibling... however, that still wont make me have a second!

Sometimes I wish I could have been an only child - I wanted to be a ballerina but my mum couldnt afford the lessons and if I had wanted lessons then she would have had to fork out for four of us!  You always get dressed the same (esp girls) and you always get hand me downs!!  You spend most of the time fighting as well.. Maybe my son isnt so bad after all!!

Answer 7

We have an only - and he's only amazing!

Well, it wasn't by choice to have only one - it's a miracle we have the one we do, because of health problems.

It took some time for me, personally, to come to grips with this, but the urge for more did fade...

We just ensured he was around kids lots when he was younger - luckily he had lots of cousins around his age in the same city.

He's told us that of course there were times he wished for siblings, but now he's glad he is 'single' - as he calls it!

And, no, he's not spoiled...

Answer 8

first of all there is absolutely nothing wrong with having only one child,No they wouldnt be lonely as i have lots of friends who have just 1 child and they are very happy with their lives,they are brilliant at school,great circle of friends,couldnt be happier.so yes having one child is SMART..

edit:for dhanya dont tar everyone with the same stick,there are children out their who have fantasic happy lives full of love and they are an only child too......OK.........

Answer 9

i was an only child for 12 almost 13 years then my mom had Logan it wasn't to bad being an only child just if someone has another child make sure you don't spoil the kid have a day to spend with your other child even though the baby needs more attention you still need to spend time with you 2 older kid so my answer is no you shouldn't feel bad for your kid

Answer 10

I was the only child for 13 years, I kind of wish my brother came sooner. I'm 33 now.

Answer 11

I don't care for it. Any friends I've had growing up that were only children wished they had a sibling. I'm currently pregnant with my 4th and I am 3 of 4, so I definately like more children versus less. Not only that, but in your old age, its easier to share the load with multiple siblings. I'd hate to have to care care of my parents and his parents if my husband and I were only children. Its alot at any age, but caring for senior parents can get overwhelming and nursing homes can be a heartbreaking experience.

Answer 12

Having an only child is probably the best thing parents can do. I know of several only children (one at the age of 9) who live very fulfilling lives and without the need to succeed in fact they are much more able to succeed without the pressures which they would face if they had siblings.

Loneliness is a state of mind. And an only child would find it easy to cultivate relationships much better.

Answer 13

It is ok, I have a son, he is alright, he has so many friends and classmates who fill his spare time.

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Answer 14

I am an only child... now an adult.  I liked the attention I got from my family don't get me wrong, but I feel like I missed the companionship of having a sibling.  I'm considering the same question myself for when I have kids.  I'd like to just have one.  Two would be nice, but ... I don't know!  =)

Answer 15

I am 14 years old, but i know for a fact i wouldnt want to be an only child, because yes it does get lonely i was an only child until i was six.

of course its totally up to you, but in my opinion having other siblings is a very smart idea,

that way your kid would have someone to play with when you cant play with them, have someone to look up to, help, and get their socializing skills in.

and it would be an even greater joy to you. ^^

Answer 16

I am not an only child and I am glad that I have a younger sibling.  It gives me a friend to play with all the time.  I have babysat an only child before.  She was/is spoiled and her parents give in to a lot of stuff.  I think it is best to have at least two children.  Sorry if this offends any only children.

Answer 17

Yes, I have a son, 7.5, tried getting pregnant after wards, but no success. Now, I am thinking the age difference would be too big if I do get pregnant, and they would actually never have a chance to play together as two kids sharing similar interests. However, at the same time, I believe he would be happier if he had a sibling. I am all messed up about this issue. How is your situation? More info?

Answer 18

I have one child he is sociable clever funny and happy as any child who have siblings edit:Dhanya what the h**l do u know about it am sure my son would feel bad for u mate

Answer 19

I was a only child for 12 years and I was just fine.  I wouldn't have minded never having a sibling.

Answer 20

I grew up as an only child.

I was usually alone (as I became older), because I had 2 full-time working parents. But I had the sense of mind to make use of my time. That included making sure that my homework and projects were done and that my chores were done. When that was done, I usually read or watched tv.

I think that as long as the child knows the rules about when they are alone, then they will be fine. Make sure that they are in a loving environment. And don't spoil them TOO much.

Answer 21

I have 4 children, but my twin sister has one boy. She always wanted to give him a sibling, but her husband only wants one. I think it is sad. Cousins and other relatives are great, but they are not the same as having a sibling. What happens when their parents get old and pass on. What if they marry an only child? They will never even get to experience being an Aunt or Uncle. Siblings are much closer than cousins could ever be, in most cases. I'm sure there are the exceptions. But ultimately, I do believe that having a sibling is very important to children. That person/s is someone that they grow up with and closer to as the years pass and there will come times in their life when they really need eachother. That is my thoughts on this.

Answer 22

Yeah i think they do get lonely, from what ive heard. They never have anyone to play with when there growing up, and when normal kids have family to turn to (brothers and sisters) they dont :)

Answer 23

having a only child isn't smart at all.. i feel bad for them, they have no one to talk to, and they can't say anything to the parents. if your ganna have kids atleast have 2

Answer 24

its never good to have a only child, a only child growes up thinking he is the only one and eventually consider him as the supurior child if you was to ever to have another, 2 is a good amount but try and keep about 5 or 6 years in between them.

if you notice the people who has had brothers and sisters wish they was the only child, and the few that was the only child wish they had a brother or sister, some wish they would come sooner or later however no matter what people will be happier with at lease one other sibling

Answer 25

yesssss...unfortunatley,every "only child" I've met has that "only child syndrome" ...it can be very annoying to other parents.Kids that are the only child tend to not know how to share or play well with other kids...for example they tend to be bossy.My niece suffers from that syndrome and when I told my sister in law about it she just took offense.I just wanted her to see that her child is so used to being the center of attention in her own family that it is hard for her to understand that sometimes she does'nt always comes first.It got so bad that my kids dreaded having to go visit.I practically would have to force them to play with her.The good thing is that as they grow up...they do grow out of that! But the bottom line is that it's up to the parents to prevent their kid from getting that "only child syndrome".

Answer 26

Only children are often brats, not nessassarily spoiled with money, but they have never had to share their time w/ their parents with another kid, so when they grow up and make freinds they will be confused and bratty about when their freinds spend time with other freinds. Because they are used to being the only one. And alot of times they are immature.

And think of it this way: They are eventually going to know what cuss words mean, they will either learn it from peers that have older siblings and be made fun of for not knowing, or they will be gently clued in by a subling at some point. Take your pick because an older sibling will make sure to mention it's a bad word, and they WILL learn it eventually, so U know... unless U want to clue them in...

Answer 27

I have one child. At times I worry that I should have had another closer to her age, but situations prevented that. She went thru a stage where her father had another child with his now wife, and she was destroyed. He totally favors his new son to his 7 year-old daughter. She didn't want me to have a baby for the longest time in fear that she would lose mommys love the way she thinks she losts her fathers. Recently I have become serious with another man, which has taken me a long time to do. She is just now warming to the idea of me having a baby. But not because she wants a little sister or brother, but because she is more secure that she and mommy are best friends. Every child is different I think. Depends if they are surrounded by peers at a daycare or stuck with adults most of the time. I think there IS "single-child-syndrome" but I don't think it is such a bad thing as long as the child does have friends and playmates their own age.

Answer 28

I was an only child and I loved it, yeah there were times that I was lonely but I also had other family (cousins) around almost all the time so I didn't really feel all that lonely,and i had a half brother and sister from my dads previous marriage(they were older though) but there is nothing wrong with having only one child. and for me now that i'm older i have 2 kids my self its harder than with just one, but i love them both to death.

Answer 29

I am an only child and my daughter is an only as well.  My husband was the middle child.  I loved being an only child as I was able to spend more time with my parents and it was easier financialy on them, so we got to do things that may have been cost prohibitive if there were additional members of the family.  My daughter has alot of play dates so she is not lacking social interaction.  I think she's thriving academically because of all of the time we can devote to her studies.  My husband regrets that he was a middle child because he didnt feel like he got the attention that he deserved.  He has no problem that our daughter is going to be an only child.

Answer 30

yes i think that single kids think that the world revolves around them and ussually very lonley.  but dont have alot of kids cause then they get jelous.  i have 4 siblings

Answer 31

I was an only child and it sucked!

When I got married I had a daughter but would not let her be alone so we planned a second, a son.

They fight like cat and dog but I think that is so much better than being alone.