If you are an only child, do you wish that you had been part of a large family O

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   Gemini Foxposted 12 years ago

   If you are an only child, do you wish that you had been part of a large family OR . . .
   
   if you had many siblings, do you wish that you had been from a smaller family or an only child?

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   KDFposted 12 years ago

   Great question Gemini-
   I am the oldest of 4. I have as recently as last month, wondered if I wasn't the oldest how things may have been different. I really enjoyed being the trend of example setter for my younger siblings, however, I didn't set the bar high enough. Much to their benefit, they successfully accomplished way more than I did growing up.
   I don't think I would've preferred a smaller family, I enjoyed being part of a bigger family. I did have many friends that were the only child, they all turned out just fine and enjoyed being spoiled but mentioned occasionally they wished they had siblings.
   I think both have their advantages and disadvantages as with almost anything in life so whether the coin landed on heads or tails, it's all good.

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   loveofnightposted 12 years ago

   I am not an only child but I do come from a large family of ten.I often wished that I was an only child.Being the eldest of ten can be a big responsibility.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Finally, SOMEONE who admits it!   Oldest children in large to very large families have no childhood and must be constantly on 24/7/365 for their parents and siblings.   Written a hub on what you are speaking about.

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   smithburgess1posted 12 years ago

   i love having a big family. you always have some one to talk to and go to for what ever it is you need. my sisters and brothers are great i'm never alone i ways have a friend.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I always had someone to talk to, MY PARENTS, they were ALWAYS AVAILABLE.

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   Vanessa Andersonposted 12 years ago

   I know you asked about being an only child, which I'm not, but I only had one sibling.  I always wished I had more.  I love the idea of a large family, which is why I hope I have one, one day.  I only have one child now, but I'm hoping for 3 or 4.

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I am an only child and I wished daily that I had a bigger family. When I moved in with my aunt and uncle after my mom died, I suddenly had two brothers (my older cousin, and my younger cousin) and apart from the grief of not having my parents - I really enjoyed being a part of a larger family.

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   ishwaryaa22posted 12 years ago

   I am an only child of my parents. Since I was a kid, I wished for a brother or sister to keep me company. However, this did not happen. Still I am blessed with caring and loving parents, few sweet cousins, some nice relatives  and few great friends. Being surrounded by people who care and shower affection on me, make me forget that I am the single child of my parents.

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   gmwilliamsposted 11 years ago

   I am an unapologetic only child.   I am proud to be one.   I wonder why the question.    It seems in this sibling obsessed society that being an only child is such an anathema.   There seems to be a lingering prejudice against 1-child families.    I have written a hub how society still discriminates against childfree and 1-child families. We are also more independent because we spent time alone and we value our own company. 
   
   
   
   It is funny that people from large families DO NOT get asked if they wished they had a smaller familiy or be an only child.   Oh ,no, it seems to be a double standard here.   There is NOTHING WRONG with being an only child.    Only children have advantages that children in multichild families do not have.    We have individualized parental attention.    There is more monies in the household, especially for cultural and intellectual activities.    We are MORE LIKELY to participate in overseas travel, dancing school, music lessons, and the like becaues there is more monies per household. 
   
   We are more likely to attend private school than public school.  Because our parents spend more time with us, teaching and discussing things with us, we have more adult vocabularies and mannerisms than those in multichild families.    In multichild families, especially large families, there is less parental interaction and children's main interactors are other siblings.  As social psychologist, Robert Zajonc asserted that the larger number of siblingship per household, the more intellectually immature a child is.    It also applies when children raise each other which is quite rife in the multichild family. 
   
   This parental interaction in only child households results in children who are high academic achievers.     Only children are also drawn to more intelliectual activities than children with siblings.    This second factor also accounts for the prodigiousness of only children.    In small families, including 2-child families, there is more of an emphasis on intellectual and cultural activities than it is in large families, where the main concern is survival. 
   
   Being an only child is a blessing.   If one wants companionships, there are outside nonrelated children and cousins.    Only children are more likely to be more universalistic in their actions because we had to go outside to make friends and companions.    People with siblings are more insular and parochial because their primary friends are siblings.   Seldom do people with siblings have outside friends and/or companions.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Looked at the question again, I was half asleep this morning.  To answer the rest of the question, I feel that while there are people with siblings who wish that their family were smaller or were only children, the MAJORITY do not.

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