What are the good and bad points of having just one child?

Question

I am thinking of having one child, but my friends are like you must have atleast two, but what are the real points to having another child.

Answer 1

There are no vices really anymore to having only one child. These days a child's social circle is even larger than their parents, what with sports, academics, etc.

The old thoughts were that an only child would grow up spoilt and lacking social skills, or that they would be lonely. As long as you are able to meet the childs needs early on and provide a basis for social development, your decision to have only one child is a responsible option for your life. Go for it!

Answer 2

Well first of all, having one child is great, they get almost everything they want and don't ever have to share and are adored by all (in the family). Not, that an only child can grow up to be very dominating, unable to share, and thus making it harder when he or she goes off to college and is put in the dorming system and is forced to share and get along with everyone due to the rules. Also, an only child after 3 years of age and as it gets older tends to feel lonely as well, and therefore it is better to have a sibling support system than to not have one. Also, God forbid, but if anything were ever to happen to that child, and you didn't have any other children, then you may become childless.

2 or more children, although it may be rough to have two kids, it is the best way to go, spacing them a little apart like by 3 years or so (perfect age gap), so that when they get older they actually get along. The benefits of having two or more kids is that their personalities develop based on their sibling and the way they are raised. Siblings provide, benefits such as the ability to share (even if they don't want to), the ability to care for other people without being selfish and a support system between both children, especially if they are close. Siblings make it easier to deal with parents, and family problems (even if they are minor issues). Siblings have a better understanding of each parent, and therefore can discuss how to deal with parents when they go through phases (ie the teen years).

There are many other reasons that support both sides, but I think having two is the best way to go because in the long run it works out better.

Answer 3

The good points: Things are a lot cheaper with just three people (Mom, Dad, Child). There is no sibling rivalry. They don't have to share (My son says that is the best part of being an only child that and he doesn't have to hear a screaming baby. What a brat!)
The bad points: Lonely, bored, spoiled most of the time, no sibling rivalry :), When you old and you have to rely on your one child to take care of you, do you trust that you raised them to be compassionate and NOT stick you in some nursing home? I am the first of four children. I hated having brothers and sisters. Now that I am older, I Thank God I have them. My Husband was an only child and I am not. We differ on how to raise our son. We prayed for more but it didn't turn out that way. There are a lot of things, besides what I have mentioned, to think about. That is a HUGE decision to make. Ask relatives and friends and your significant other and then talk for a long time. Make sure you are o.k. with your decision because you can't take it back.

Answer 4

I am in a family with 4 kids and I wouldn't trade my siblings for anything in the world, and I would not conisder having an only child. Siblings are the best support system a child can have, because they expierence things most similarily to each other (compared to parents or cousins or friends). I know its not fun to think about, but, for example if there was a divorce or death in the family, what would a single child have to fall back on?

Answer 5

I was an only child and it can be a lonely world. You miss out on some experiences. Their children will miss out on cousins, aunts, uncles, that kind of thing.

I have 2 boys now and I love seeing them experience what having a sibling is like (even the fighting) because I know how much I longed for it as a child.

Answer 6

Don't listen to your friends. Do what you think is right for you. The main advantage to one child is that it is less expensive and time and space consuming. The main disadvantage is that your child grows up without any siblings and often develops what I refer to as "only child syndrome." Symptoms: "the world revolves around me" attitude; unwillingness to entertain self; expecting to be on equal footing with adults rather than acting like a kid; over-empowered; socially immature.

I am a single parent with two children and although I struggle, particularly to find enough time for myself and I make a lot of sacrifices to provide for them, this is what is right for me. They are nearly 4 1/2 months and nearly 3 years. It is hard now when they are so young, sleep deprivation and all of that, but it will get easier. They are being raised to care for and appreciate one another and they will always have that.

Answer 7

I have 1 eleven year old kid.
An only child.
We wanted two, but it didn't happen.
I still wish we could have had two.
1. More love to go around.
2. Kids that grow up together, sharing and being there for each other.
3. All your fate as a parent won't hang on the longevity of a single offspring.
4. Adoption is a nice way to go. We tried that too and failed to get it completed.
5. It's just, I think a generally more happy family all around.

Just having one is nice, but our threesome feels like it's missing someone.

The not so good---
1. Money
2. complications....everything is more complicated
3. fighting
4. money.

aaahh... I'll take a second kid any day!

Answer 8

I am an only child. I missed having a sibling to pal around with. Heck, I missed having a sibling to fight with. I couldn't blame anyone else if something was broken either! If you have one child, do not spoil them. Make them work for things which is what my parents did. Sometimes an only child turns out to be a brat solely due to the fact that the child gets EVERYTHING!

Answer 9

There are good and bad points to your question. I'm going to give you something to think about.

When I was a child I always wished that I didn't have any brothers and sisters. My mom died 3 years ago. That was the most painful thing I ever went through. It still is. I don't know what we would have done without each other.

Who is going to be there for your child when you die? And don't think spouse, because they may or may not know what your child is going through. No one does, until it happens to them.

Answer 10

What if (God forbid) something happened to that one child...you would be alone.

When you are old, the only child will bear all the responsibility of caring for you all by him/herself.

Having siblings helps children learn to deal with other people...learning to share, to take turns, etc. (I know this can happen at school, but when it happens at home, those concepts are reinforced).

Only children CAN BE (not all--don't take offense all of you only children reading this) brattier and more selfish (I was a teacher...firsthand experience here).

Holidays, vacations, outings, & special occasions are more fun with more than one child.

The older sibling can learn how to care for the younger. The younger sibling can learn how to depend on the older. The sibling relationship can be an awesome one (when nurtured).