This week I’ve spent time searching the net for resources (blogs, message boards, & articles) for those who have only one child. I’ve done this before, but this time looked primarily for places where one could plug in and dialogue with others.
The following article only touched on a few of the Pros and Cons of having an only child. The writer’s perspective was refreshing in its originality.
The loneliest number? Raising my only child
Written by Kelly Mills on September 19 2007 on San Francisco Chronicle’s The Poop, their “Baby Blog” for parents of infants and toddlers in the San Francisco Bay area.
Mrs. Mills’ list made me smile.
Pro: No hoarding. [Her child is very generous.]
Con: My only child doesn't have a very good sense of her character flaws.
Pro: Great vocabulary.
Con: In kid vocabulary, she is way behind.
Pro: She has the freedom to be whatever she wants to be. [No sibling for
comparison.]
Con: She'll never have the close camaraderie that comes from growing up with
someone.
Mrs. Mills had lots of replies that in and of themselves were interesting reading. I found a quite a few blogs and more message boards than I had found on previous hunting expeditions online. Here’s the list of sites I found, if you’d like to check some of them out for yourself.
MESSAGE BOARDS
http://share.donnac.com
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-psonly
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-pponlychild
http://boards.babycentre.co.uk/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcUKParOnlyCh&_requestid=1332734 http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=451029&func=3&channel=Parenting http://talk.sheknows.com/forumdisplay.php?f=922
http://onlychild.proboards49.com/
http://forum.canadianparents.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=63 http://www.ibelieve.com/m_2703996/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#2714823 http://onlychild.meetup.com/boards/
http://www.unschooling.info/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=13 http://silentgrief.proboards70.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=momsaftermiscarriage&thread=1190656063&page=1#1190661460 https://community.vhi.ie/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/586103/m/46410247
http://www.beinganonly.com/ -- for a fee
BLOGS
http://www.squidoo.com/only_children
http://relaxedparents.com/
http://attemptedmotherhood.wordpress.com/
http://amommystory.blogspot.com/2006/04/only-child-vs-siblings.html http://www.onlychildonline.blogspot.com/
http://daddityghoul.blogspot.com/
http://milk--and--cookies.blogspot.com/2007/05/only-child-by-choice.html
http://birthorder.blogster.com/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Jimmie
http://mamasmidlifemire.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!79311507CCFC123C!1641.entry
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/2007/06/draft_rachel_powell.html
ARTICLES
http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5549,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4972042.stm
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/pregnancy/article/0,19840,1575105,00.html http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2004/single.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/47611b12-faa7-11db-8bd0-000b5df10621.html http://www.familyresource.com/parenting/only-children/mowing-down-only-child-myths http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3488411&page=1
http://relaxedparents.com/2006/10/25/one-lump-or-two-the-sibling-question/
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_439655.html
http://www.deborahsiegel.net/work2.htm
http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/02/26/socializing-an-only-child/ http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/sanctification-and-the-only-child
http://www.businessweek.com/careers/workingparents/blog/archives/2006/07/the_only_child.html
http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=20407 http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/11351 -- China & One Child Policy http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/one-only-child-policy-fuelling-divorce-boom-in-china/ http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Tips-for-parenting-the-only-child-1330.htm http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Working-attitudes-for-parents-of-one-2782.htm
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Mowing-down-only-child-myths-3288.htm http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9808/07/only.child/ http://www.babyzone.com/preconception/family_planning/a964/1
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/7-tips-ensure-child-develops-well-rounded-adult.html
http://www.committment.com/apter1.html
http://parentspress.com/mcsinglechildessay.html http://www.geocities.com/scojack52293/onlynotlonely.htm
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cpt/9g4/9g4012.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/onlychild.shtml http://www.myprimetime.com/misc/press/press_cinenquirer_763000.shtml http://www.teenagerstoday.com/articles/923
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/family/articles/2005/03/03/some_parents_of_an_only_childmust
_confront_their_own_fears/
Happy surfing ~ and as always, surfer beware! These are not all Christian sites but had some interesting views (and were not blatantly nonChristian to me).
Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completes his homeschooling within the next two years. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One three years ago, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC
copyright © 2007 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.
