Only child?!

JW83

Hi, what have been your experiences either as only children or as parents of an only child? Is it as awful and lonely as people say? Did your children grow up precocious & annoying?

RichieRich

I'm an only child.

Unlike some, I found friendship among people older than me, and this helped me to grow up quicker.

Sometimes I used to wish I had someone else, but looking back now, its all good.

DelTheFunkyHomosapien

It was lonely at times but i found not sharing stuff kicked arse. Also my oldies could spend more time with me and i could do more things (ie sports). If I become a Dad one day I would only want one.

MerryMagdalene

I am my mother's only child and only saw my step-siblings occassionally. I also had a foster-sister for a couple years who was about 10 years older than me.

I loved being a mostly only child. There were also very few if any children my age in the congregation where I lived most of the time while I was growing up. I enjoyed the company of adults and, rather annoyingly (for them), felt myself to be one of them and their equal (very frowned upon).

I am now the mother of an only child (4 yrs old) and it is quite a challenge finding decent friends for her in the small town where we live. We go to the library for story-time and to the park a lot so she can interact. She is very friendly and outgoing.

~Merry

Netty

Sorry cant help you much, middle child here. You know what they say about that!

HappyDad

I was an only child and had a great childhood and was not spoiled. My parents taught me the value of a dollar and I had my first job at 9 years of age delivering newspapers. There were always other kids to play with in my neighborhood and not having siblings didn't bother me at all.

However, looking back on life, I wish there was an older brother to slap me upside the head and knock some sense into me when I started listening to the preaching of my mother who became a JW in the early 1960's. I got baptized in 1970 after meeting my wife at mother's KH. Sometimes I wonder what the real reason for my baptism was.

My daughter is an only child and I guess we and the grandparents did spoil her a little. She is grown now and well adjusted. And our relationship is wonderful!

HappyDad

JW83

Thanks everyone! It seems like you only ever hear negatives on only children. I am constantly being asked 'when is the next baby?' and hearing people saying, 'oh, but you've got to have another one so your daughter has someone to play with'. We might, we might not, depending more on circumstances than anything else. My brother's partner has just had a baby, so we're hoping that they can become close cousins!

target

My son is an only child-32 years old now. He also preferred the company of older children and adults. He was mature for his age as a result. Seeing his two boys fight and argue all the time makes me appreciate having had only one.

I came from a large family and hated it. I felt lost in the crowd and felt no one cared if I was around.

Only children tend to succeed in life too.

Target

Eyebrow2

I am in the exact middle of all my siblings, so I have no idea what it is like being an only child.

I have many kids now, but was a single parent until my oldest was almost 8, but honestly, my son spent so much time with my younger siblings, he was never lonely. He did constantly ask me for brothers though. When he was 5 or so he told me he wanted me to give him five brothers. I said five, are you nuts? and he looked at me and said "oh, not at the same time". Like that mattered hahah.

He adjusted to sharing stuff with his step sisters pretty well.

I have met some obnoxious, selfish only children, and also some very caring and giving only children. I think it all depends on the enviroment the parents create.

Only child?!

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