The Social-Outcast Singleton Myth
Spoiled, Socially Maladjusted, Mean, and Self Centered.
These are just a few of the words most people associate with ‘Only Children’. (Incidentally, it seems that Wikipedia has a page about ’spoiled brats’ linked in that page. ) These have been rather persistent over the years, since around the 1890’s stemming from a study by G. Stanley Hall.
These stereotypes may not actually hold up much against reality, but they do hold up perfectly in popular thought. The study itself was flawed and in recent years have been disproved by better and more modern studies, and in fact raising a single child has it’s own benefits.
No insult meant to any parents of multiples, which has it’s very own benefits. Growing up there have been times that I had wished I was an only child, like whenever my brother would find a new fascination with destroying my Barbies or my ponies (far to many fights over everything to count, we even made the game Sorry a bit more literal*).
Yet, many parents of only children are encouraged to have more so there can be playmates for the first born (although, that doesn’t always work out that way). At times even chided for the decision to only have one child (both have happened to me).
There’s even magazines and websites to dispelling the ‘only child syndrome’ myths. Alas, some things that have been around for so long can be rather hard to just forget about.
*Only children tend to be more verbal due to talking so much to adults. This is the same reason why they also can be more self-assured and confident in themselves.
*Parents of only children don’t face the same dilemmas as parents with more than one child. We don’t have to worry about divvying up time, and if we are spending enough time with one child over another.
While this is a link for a subscription to the above link website, it has some more of the interesting myths about only children.
*Why yes, my mom should be up for sainthood.
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Another source for information on only child stereotyping, parenting only children, and many related issues is at Psychology Today Magazine. The blog, called Singletons, can be accessed via: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons