One Child vs Siblings {Parenting}

As a mother with only one child I have often wondered what it would be like to have two or more children.

I have encountered many discussions that debate the pros and cons of having more kids and after reading several articles and talking to a few parents there were two particular statements that stood out to me:

–Only children are spoiled, selfish and self-centered: You hear this one a lot and the statement is not necessarily true. Some studies actually suggest that only children usually have closer and more affecionate relationships with their parents than children with siblings and bigger families. They can also develop better verbal skills and do better in school as they are read to more often. Only children can also be more confident and content as they don’t have to “fight” for their parents attention with other siblings and they don’t have to deal with “sibling bullying”. –Children from larger families easily entertain each other and feel less lonely: Siblings can play with each other and they have to learn about sharing, empathy and how to resolve conflict. With an only child the parents are usually the only playmates at home and they have to schedule more play-dates and social meetings than parents with more than one child.

What’s Easier? One Child or Siblings?

At home it does take a lot of energy to keep our little one entertained all day and I sometimes think that in the future if there was another brother/sister to play with him then they would both keep themselves entertained (less work for us). Realistically there would probably be arguments to referee and many more new responsibilities (more diapers to change, messes to clean and money to spend) so I think it evens out.

I would love to have one more and it is not out of the question but it is always interesting to see what other parents have to say about this topic.

At the end the decision to have more than one child depends on your own particular situation and desires. There is no absolute right or wrong decision and there shouldn’t be any pressure either way. Besides, isn’t the grass always greener on the other side of the fence?

What do you think? Do you have an only child/more than one? Is it harder or easier in some ways to have more than one child?