6 Great Tips For Parenting An Only Child

It is hard to come across a person who does not like children. Everybody wants their progeny to carry on their name and legacy. In the past, it was common to have as many children as you could.

In most homes you would find at least four or five. But, the times have changed, with birth control and family planning gaining importance in the society. These definitely have their benefits, but it greatly reduces the number of children in one home.

At a glance, we may find nothing particularly wrong with this situation since the one or two children we find in every home is provided with the best of everything.

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The downside of this arrangement is that children tend to become selfish and less powerful to face the difficulties in life. With the lack of peers, children are also prone to develop many psychological problems.

Many homes today have only one child. Raising an only child is sometimes more difficult than raising a group of children. The child sorely needs the company of other children. No matter how hard you try, you will always be a parent or friend at best, but never a brother or sister.

Here we shall discuss some issues and tips for parenting an only child.

Expectations: Most parents have ambitions of their kids, but when it comes to raising an only child, parents dump all their expectations on his or her head. This will cause undue stress for the child and must be avoided.

The loner: Parenting an only child will see you devoting a majority of your time to your child. But, despite this, they might feel lonely since they need a child of their own age group to relate to. Make sure they get to interact with peers as often as possible.

Self help: Self help is the best help after all. While parenting an only child, you might have the tendency to do everything for him. But this means he will not learn to do anything by himself. Encourage your only child to be self dependent.

When to say no: While parenting an only child, you often tend to fulfill everything they demand. But this can make them spoiled, so discipline them in such a way that they know when you say no, you mean no.

Over-protective: Raising an only child makes the parents over-protective. The child will feel suffocated and will have no freedom to try anything new. Control your urge to restrain him and let him grow new wings.

A safe outlet: Children become frustrated over many things as they grow and usually confide in their siblings. But, if you are raising an only child, develop a positive network of friends and family your child can turn to in such times.