The Only Child

Okay - this is a topic that's near and dear to my heart... The only child. I have one son and I have (in his 6 years) constantly heard, "well, he does that because he's an only child," or "He's the only child, so of course he'll react like that." It bugs the crud out of me because there are certain personality traits that go along with birth order and then there are just personality traits. I am the youngest but I am by no means the most spoiled in my family who gets babied; the same with my husband. As far as my only child goes, I see so many children around me (family and friends) that have multiple siblings but still have issues with needing attention or sharing or bickering. It's funny to me that when these children exhibit similar behaviors, it's because they are the oldest or in the middle - so is it really because Parker's an only child or can we stick any child into any template and rationalize behavior as we'd like? He may very well stay our only one, so we try very hard not to stop everything we are doing every time he wants something or doesn't want to do something. He is the light of our lives, just like any child or children would be. Can I really believe that I love my son any more than a mom who has 2, 3 or even 6? I don't believe that. I truly believe that we would be the same with 3 as we are with our 1. This is a very hot topic, but we (mainly I) hear people's opinion on my only child and possible subsequent children on a daily basis - but it's a very personal thing. Do I reel off my position on children every time I'm asked or even every other time? No. It's a very intimate piece of our lives. In a nutshell, there are many only children who are very coddled and babied; by the same token, there are many oldest children who are mature beyond their years and responsible for a lot; my point in this whole tidbit is that we shouldn't keep pegging children as "the sweet one," or "the spoiled one," or "the smart one." Enjoy the aspects of a child - in my only child's case - he has so many different sides, there is no way to peg him. Just when I think I can, he switches it up. The diversity in his personality keeps me on my toes - my guess is that this won't change any time soon. Let's love and enjoy them...



Oh - and if Chipper is reading this - which he swears he does :)... Happy 10th anniversary! I love you and feel very lucky for our 10 years; ups and downs; and our only child. I look forward to the 25th