Do only children have it easier or harder?
Only children are spoiled, only children are arrogant, and only children get whatever they want: all prejudices about only children that stubbornly persist through generations. Maybe you grew up without siblings yourself or you are unsure whether your child should remain an only child or whether you want to decide on one or more other children. In this article, we want to find out the advantages of growing up without siblings and why families decide to have an only child.
Why only child?
The most common argument against siblings is the financial situation. Many parents want to offer their child something and fear that having another child would lower their standard of living. In fact, this is particularly true for low-income earners, because children cost a lot of money. However, with well thought-out housekeeping and lowering your own expectations, you can live well with more than one child. In addition to the financial side, many parents today see the lack of crèche places as very critical. Nowadays, women do not want to accept a career break because of a child and therefore strive to find their way back to work as quickly as possible. However, this is difficult if there are not enough childcare places available. In addition, it is well known that children are often ill. With one child, some employers overlook the resulting absences, but with several, this is often no longer the case.
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Advantages and disadvantages of only children
But what are the advantages of growing up as an only child? Well, only children can always have their parents’ undivided attention and don’t have to share it with siblings. Whether it’s playing together or later helping with homework – single children always have a contact person available. What initially appears to be a great advantage can, however, also have disadvantages in practice. Playing together, arguing, sharing and getting along again in the end – siblings learn that automatically. In order to offer only children these opportunities, it is particularly important to establish social contacts outside of the family. Children without other siblings have the decisive advantage that there is no competition within the family. You don’t have to constantly compare and calculate who gets more time or attention. Studies have shown that only children are often less aggressive than children who have siblings. According to a Californian study, only children achieve better educational qualifications.
Whether a child becomes a spoiled child does not depend on whether it has siblings or whether it grows up alone, but mainly on how its parents treat it. Even an only child has to learn that they cannot always be the center of attention and that not all of their wishes can be fulfilled immediately. Given the opportunity to do so, there is a good chance that an only child will not grow up as a “spoiled brat” but will grow up to be a considerate, socially minded person.