Single Child

Tips to Enrich Your Child's Life!

Single child families appear to be the norm these days, if you have noticed. Whether you blame recession, time-consuming careers, or simply parental choice, the only child is no longer an oddity, especially among the urban crowd. A comment by Mae on my posting on children and chores, got me thinking about this more or less modern phenomenon. Though I replied off the top of my head, the issue was positively ping-ponging between my ears all day long. I still can't decide whether a single child family is a good thing or not.

Single Child Problems

Single kids are often seen as the spoilt, selfish, uncaring types who pretty much have their parents moving to their wii remotes. Now while it may be true that an only child would be the focus of attention of both parents and other relatives, it doesn't necessarily have to mean that it has to corrupt them beyond all reason. A child who turns out to be selfish and rude and all of that, would probably be that way even if she were a part of a sizeable brood. Having said that, let's face it, there might be a small minority who get away with blue murder because Dad and Mum just couldn't bring themselves to discipline or say No to their only child.

Single Child Scenario

• An only child has every chance of getting all the parental attention he could possibly want.
• Single children families have more money, time, and energy to devote to their only child.
• A single child may learn to think independently and work on his own long before those with siblings.
• No sibling rivalry to ruin family fun times.
• May have a strong relationship with parents.
• May develop strong friendships.

Single child families may not always find the picture so rosy. There is the other extreme where the child does not get any parental attention for any number of reasons. Not having siblings to alleviate this problem, he may eventually wind up in fantasy world with imaginary friends and talking teddy bears. This may not have hilarious outcomes as Calvin and Hobbes, and may ultimately find him existing entirely in cyber space on social networks locked out from all human contact.

An Only Child's Woes

• A single child might be the centre of his parent's universe, but this would cease to be a big whoop if the indulgent parents get obsessively involved in the child's life.
• On the other hand, lack of ample attention will make her a social recluse.
• Not having a peer to grow up with may cause them to skip childhood entirely and talk and behave in an adult manner at an early age.
• Eagerness for human companionship may find them in the company of the wrong crowd, succumbing to anti-social behaviour.
• With no siblings to give and take, an only child might have to learn the art of sharing, the hard way.
• Faced with traumatic events such as death or divorce of parents, a single child may find herself all alone and vulnerable with no support.

Ultimately, I suppose it all depends on the father, mother, and child. Daniel Radcliffe, a single kid, appears to have turned out a winner. Lance Armstrong is another single child who appears to have grown up to be a champion and compensated for a lonely childhood by having a fairytale family of five kids. On the other hand, there's Tiger Woods, also a single child.