In terms of happiness, a compelling argument for having an only child comes from science that strongly indicates that mothers with one child are happiest.
An only child is more content and confident than those with siblings, reports The Observer. Happiness in children declines once there are more siblings in the home, an Understanding Society research study has found.
According to a Gallup poll, 4 in 10 Americans say three or more children is the ideal family size.
Parenting having one child
You might feel that pressure, but having one child is more than okay. Raising children is not an easy task. Those raising more than one child might assume that a parent with only one has it easier. But one-child parents often go through similar challenges.
Parents can also benefit from having only one child, Dr Newman says, with "less stress and pressure; ability to pursue your own interests; spontaneity, [and] a closeness that develops between parent and child".
MYTH: Parents who choose to have one child are selfish
"Selfish is a word that comes up over and over again when it comes to only children. But being selfish can be a good thing," explains Jenny. "Endless compromise does no one any favours and a few of my friends have the wrecked relationships to prove it."
“If you want to maximize your subjective well-being, you should stop at one child,” the study's author told Psychology Today. A more recent study, from Europe, found that two was the magic number; having more children didn't bring parents more joy.
His recent study of 13,500 kids found that any difference in social competence between only children and those with siblings disappears by adolescence: By grade 7, only children were just as popular as their peers with siblings. The study's authors concluded “there is little risk to growing up without siblings."
“There's also some suggestion there might be more pressure from parents on an only child to succeed. “Research has shown that only children may be slower to develop conflict resolution skills, given that they don't have siblings to learn and practice these skills with.
They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
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Western culture idealizes youth, so it may come as a surprise to learn that in a recent poll asking this question, the most popular answer wasn't 9 or 23, but 36.
According to a new study published in the Social Indicators Research journal, we can expect to be happiest between the ages of 30 and 34. The study came to this conclusion by asking people over 50 from 13 European countries about the periods of their life in which they felt the most content.
"The survey finds that the majority of respondents believe that two children is the 'ideal' number for family happiness, but the majority of respondents also have two children.
Having two children is good for your health
Having two children reduces mortality risk. Three different studies looked at thousands of older adults and found the same thing: two kids was the sweet spot for health. The risk of an early death increases by 18% for parents of an only child.
MYTH: Only children are lonely. FACT: Only children can have as many friends as their peers with siblings do.
An only child is just as happy as everyone else. In fact, as kids, they are probably happier. But throughout life, they have just as many close friends. They even enjoy more career success.
Based on the study findings, they suggest the optimal time between giving birth and getting pregnant again is 18 months, with a range of 12 to 24 months. That said, many experts still adhere to the recommendation of 18 to 24 months.
The bottom line is, it's totally fine and absolutely normal to change your mind about having more than one kid after you actually have one and realize what it's like. It's also totally fine to change your mind about it right now and then change it back again in a few months or a year or two years from now.
According to a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study, only children and children with siblings ultimately have the same employment rates, marriage outcomes, levels of mobility, and average number of kids. The one trait that might separate them is sociability.
Nearly 47 percent of households with children are one-child families. The national average is 20 percent. The Pew Research Center reports that the average size of an American family has been shrinking, from 3.7 children in 1960 to 1.9 today.
According to the Pew Research Center, the average American family downsized from 3.7 children in 1960 to 1.9 currently, and about 20 percent of households with children are one-child families. The single-child configuration is the fastest growing family unit.
According to a study published in the Social Indicators Research journal, we're the happiest between the ages of 30-34, and midlife (our 40s and 50s) is not perceived as the least happy period in life.
Forget the terrible twos and prepare for the hateful eights ‒ parents have named age 8 as the most difficult age to parent, according to new research. Eight being the troublesome year likely comes as a surprise to many parents, especially since parents polled found age 6 to be easier than they expected.