Only Child Is ‘NOT’ A Lonely Child

This is an old saying that ‘only child is a lonely child’ which is not true in today’s day & age. When I had my 1st child we had decided to have only 1 child boy/girl did not matter. When my daughter was a toddler many people advised us to plan for a 2nd one to give her company, even strangers would tell us “it’s good to have 2 kids....they will give one another company....blah...blah...Blah

Well we stood our ground & my daughter is the only child, but by no means, is she lonely.

I’m also the only child but because I grew up in a boarding school I never felt the need for a sibling. I had too many friends who replaced the sibling love & I’m happy that most of them are still my friends. Surprisingly my daughter never asked for a sibling too!!

Most of the parents feel that 2 is family, siblings grow up together & later can be of great help, I don’t disagree but in current times having one child is more than enough.

If you are a parent of only one child & you are happy with your decision then give yourself a pat. There will be a few instances when your child will ask why I don’t have a sibling & you may have your own explanation in place, but by and large make sure you make your kid understand the advantages of having just one kid!

Here are a few tips on bringing up your only but not a lonely child :-

1. Don’t over pamper your child. Just because they don’t have a sibling does not mean you spoil them. This is the first thing that most of the parents succumb to.

2. Allow your child to make as many friends as possible, in school, in the neighbourhood wherever they go encourage them to make friends.

3. Most of us have large families with children of the same age group, cousins are the best replacement of a sibling.

4. Don’t give into every demand of your child just because we don’t have to spend for 2 or more.

5. Make your only child emotionally & mentally strong so that they can fight their own battles in life.

6. Many times we have to replace their need for a sibling by playing with them, talking to them in their language, competing with them & it’s a no brainer, just have to become a child for sometime & believe me it’s fun ☺.

7. Teach them to ‘share’ as this may not come naturally since they don’t have a sibling to share with, so make sure if they are having a chocolate or their favourite food they share it with the parent or any family member.

8. Allow them to go for school trips so that they can become independent and make more friends.

There are a lot of wonderful things one can do with their only child, make sure as a parent you spend not just quality but quantity time with your kids, be is single or many! Happy Parenting.