Despite years of sound research, studies and investigation, parents of only children — and only children themselves — still, on occasion, have to defend their choice to keep their firstborn an only child. It doesn’t seem to matter how many countries around the globe have become one-child nations or close, or that many only children go on to have only children.
Like any parenting journey, raising an only child is a complex, multifaceted experience — perhaps made even more challenging to navigate because of the persistent stereotypes that finally are fading. Turns out they are untrue. One-child families have become common in most developed nations and many cities in the US. Forty-seven percent of families in Seattle, for example, have one-child.
This Information Center was born to answer the remaining questions about having or being an only chid today:
You may be here because you are contemplating having one child or thinking about having another. You want to enrich your only child’s development. You may seek facts — not myths — about only children. Or, you may simply want to tell others what’s great about being an only child or being the parent of one. Whatever your reason, welcome!
I invite you to explore the many aspects of the world of only children. Click on the sections above to find what you’re looking for.
Enjoy, and thank you for stopping by!
—Susan
