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One and Done: One Child Families

image of child on slide
More and more of our friends these days are having only one child. It’s interesting to hear them talk about their experience, read blogs on the subject and to hear parents of two or more children weigh in (whether or not it is their place to do so). Having three myself, I can tell you that life is crazy. In fact, life was crazy with two and then along came Cooper. Sometimes I feel like I am so busy caring for my children that I don't have time to enjoy them and I sometimes I secretly envy "the One and Done" crowd. You may have heard parents of more than one child talk about how they wanted their first child to have a playmate. The “playmate phase” of childhood does not begin, of course, until both children are older than toddlers. Toddlers meeting a newborn sibling for the first time often experience a myriad of emotions including joy, wonder, love, fascination and jealousy. For the first few years, if the first child is not of the calm and nurturing variety, plan on spending a fair amount of time protecting the new baby from the “love” of your older child. Even if your first child truly adores the new brother or sister, that adoration is often shown too roughly. I’ve pried both of our smaller children out of the squeezing, territorial grip of an older sibling more than once. When your children are old enough to actually play together, it will most likely be a typical sibling relationship (Love/Hate). Instead of entertaining each other while I try to get things done around the house, I’m often interrupted several times (dozens) by a tattletale, a fight that needs to be broken up or the need to investigate a scream. When the kids are all together and QUIET, I get suspicious. Have they sneaked the iPad out of my room or a jar of Nutella out of the cupboard? Most likely both. Are they picking the lock on my closet door looking for Christmas presents? For some reason, they seem to cooperate and work together best when mischief is involved. Then they operate like a team of highly trained jewel thieves pulling off the world’s greatest heist. People who have one child, either by choice, necessity or circumstance, are often asked to explain or justify their decision to have one child. The truth may be that other parents are simply curious, but I’ve gotten the idea that this can be a sore subject for parents of only one child. Maybe those parents struggled with infertility and feel lucky to have one child? Maybe a pregnancy was lost due to a miscarriage? Maybe they felt that their finances were best suited to one child or maybe they just wanted one child so that they could give all of their time, energy and love onto that one lucky child. Every family has their own unique story whether they have one child or seven. We personally have the “Two and Done ...Ooops” story. Does “Only Child Syndrome” really exist? I don’t know. But I can assure you if there are “Syndromes” one can acquire by either having or not having siblings, it goes both ways. Are only children more spoiled than mine? Well, it’s probably fair to say that they may spend more One on One time with their parents but that seems to imply that it’s not good for kids to have one on one time with their parents. IF that's the case, why do I feel like I am failing when I can’t give any of mine enough One on One time? If my children would compete less for our attention, we'd actually be able to give them more of it. Do only children get more treats and presents because there is only one of them? I doubt that too. I probably “give in” much more than any parent of one child because I am struggling to manage more kids. "Here take the cookie! Just stop bothering your sister!" I'm also quite sure I resort to turning on the TV as much as any parent ever has.  I’ve even said things like “If anyone gets up from watching this show, he or she is going right to a time out!” Ridiculous, I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures and dinner is burning. I certainly don't regret having any of my children and I would never go back in time and NOT have any of my three--but I do worry sometimes that I am not doing enough for any of them....but hey, that might be something every parent fears, no matter how many children they have.     We you an only child or do you have an only child? What are your thoughts on the matter? And for parents with two or more, have any of your children ever told you they wished they were an Only Child? My oldest has let me know several times!    
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27 comments

  • I only had one sister and I always wished that I had more siblings – more playmates and friends! My husband comes from a large family (6 kids), and I’m a little envious of the relationships they all have, even though I know it was crazy for his parents. We’ve been blessed with one child so far, and we hope to have a few more. Somewhere between two and six. :-)

    Rachel K. on
  • I am the middle child with one older brother and one younger. My son was born when I was 20, almost 11 years ago. I honestly didn’t think I wanted more than one. Until I found out we were expecting in 2011. Unfortunately, our daughter Elex was stillborn at 20 weeks. It was definitely a traumatizing experience, and one I’ll never completely heal from. Three years later we found out we were expecting again; our newest addition had the exact due date as Elex did. I knew in my heart it was her way of coming back to us, even just a little bit, through her baby sister. We’re now a very happy family of 4 and are anxious to add our fifth member. I now feel like I would be happy if we didn’t stop adding to our family until it’s no longer a possibility. Funny how living, maturing, and growing up can change some of your most absolute views on life. :)

    Erin on
  • I have 3 sisters and one brother! I come from a big family, but don"t necessarily know if I want a big family, myself. We just had our fifirst baby and have talked about adding another sister or brother later on in the years!

    Anel on
  • I’m an only child and my husband says I’m spoiled because of it, but his sister is more spoiled than I am so I don’t believe it. I think however many children a couple chooses to have is fine as long as they have the time and love for them all.

    Kristina Leezer on
  • I’m an only child and my mom says the only reason I turned out so good was because I went to daycare starting at 6 weeks old! Being an only child sure had its perks when I was younger and I really learned to entertain myself early on, plus had a close relationship with my parents. On the other hand it wasn’t very fun sometimes not having a playmate, and now that I’m older I wish I had a sibling, which is why I want to have more than one child. I am very jealous of the relationship my husband has with his siblings and hope to see that in my children!

    Courtney Hobson on

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