I am an only child not by my parents’ choice but life hasn’t been generous in my family and here I am alone. My son is also an only child, again not completely by choice and still I get to be asked the question ‘are you not giving your son a brother or sister?’. This has raised many dilemmas in my head such as ‘Am I ruining my son?’ Asking people if/why they are not having more children is such an inappropriate question but still I have been the victim of this abuse hundreds of times. I have now come to the conclusion that it is not too bad after all to be or to have an Only Child despite the common places about the perks of living in a big family. After reading my top ten benefits of an Only child you will feel better about not wanting to have more than one child.
1) You will have more money in the bank account. Big perk!
2) You can have more family holidays abroad.
3) Travelling with one child only is much easier and pleasant.
4) Only children are more independent as they are used to spend more time on their own.
5) You have more me-time (as a parent) at weekends (you can only count on one ballet show, football or tennis tournament at the time).
6) Mums can get back to their life and body sooner having more time for fitness activities.
7) You create a very special bond with your unique son or daughter. You can give your child your undivided attention!
8) You won’t mix up siblings’ names.
9) You can invest more in your child’s education (it costs approximately £200,000 to raise a child to the age of 17).
10) You can have a normal sized car without worrying whether you can fit guests or pets.
If you decide to have an only child you are not on your own. In 2013 the Office for National Statistics, revealed that the UK has about 7.7million families with dependent children, of which 3.7 million have just one child, compared to three million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more.
And if you are worried about raising an only child, I can reassure you that it is ok. I would have probably loved to have siblings but nevertheless I am happy now and have lots of friends to fill the gap!
What is your view on this matter? What are the benefits of having an only child, for the child and parents?
