Mamas of only children: Do you regret not having more than one child? What are the pros and cons of having an only child?
No, they will always have each other when Iām gone. (3)
I only regret who their dad is.
I didā¦ but surprise, 10 yrs later number 2 showed up! I always wanted a large family but after my son was born my husband was totally against another luckily for me, although a big shock, I got pregnant with a second
I had what I thought would be my one and only now there 5 and im due with my second. I thought 1 was going to be but I realized as my son got older a sibling is needed I just felt we needed another but more so cause I wanted to try for the opposite genderā¦
Hubby and I both grew up with multiple siblings and both would of been fine with 1 or none. I think it really depends on how you feel and your situation.
Iām an only child. I wish I had that sibling bond/friendship that all my friends had growing up.
No regrets on just having one. One is plenty. You couldnāt pay me to have a second child.
I had uterus issues. And had a hysterectomy after having my kid. I donāt have great family ties and donāt want him to be feeling guilty about needing to be committed to the family if heās going to be mistreated. I was able to create my village outside of family and have friends to lean on rather than siblings. I am also a single mom and his dad has since moved on and made more babies with another woman and my son has taken the back seat to that. I donāt have the ability to afford to take care of more than him, financially or emotionally. Heās enough and heās perfect.
I did , so I had another . 6 years between them .
I was an only child for 12 years of my life and am super glad my parents had my brother
Iām an only child and wish I had a sibling. I have 3 children and love that they have each other.
Not everyone has good experiences with siblings. They can be a source of a lot of pain. And for that reason did not regret only having one. I am giving my child what I always longed for!
Yes, and now I have a 20yr old, 8, and 5yr old. Had 2 more, so they could grow up together.
Sometimes I love it sometimes I want my 3 year old to have a siblingā¦but also a single mom
Both my hubby and I come from families with siblings and none of us are close at all. I struggle with this. When her dad and I eventually leave this world I dont want her to have no family. We are so far away and distanced from anyone a sibling will probably be what she needs. We donāt want another, but for her sake we probably will. Our issue is when? She turns 3 this month and we are not ready. If the age difference is greater will they even like each other? Sigh. Itās a struggle for us.
I doā¦ i have 1 shes 19ā¦ sucks being an only. I have 4 sisters and love it . But i had fertility issues and was only successful once
Iām an only child and I have 1 child. I donāt regret having just one. Iāve always been good with it and I think she will be as well.
Hereās my issue, I had my son, my first child, at the age of 20. He is now almost 6 and I am 26. I feel like I waited too long to have any more kids because he is finally at an age of more independence and I feel like I would completely be starting over. Not to mention, Iām almost 30, not sure I want any more kids after the age of 30. However, my brother and I were 12 years apart, so maybe I could just do what my mom did I love having my only boy though.
Pros: less expensive, more attention from mom and dad
Cons: lonely, could be spoiled, donāt get that bond that siblings get because a relationship with siblings is not like any other kind of relationship
I have 9 kidsā¦they all love having each other to play with etc just having 1 they are lonelyā¦yea u can do more things etc but nothing wrong with having a 2nd.
Im a single mom like all the way single no help at all and its extremely hard already my son isnt here yet.
Following cause Iām on the fence if Iāll do a second child or not haha
I only ever wanted one once we got pregnant. But we had two (allergic to birth control). We placed that baby for adoption though because we really didnāt want a second child. We love the baby more than words, she just wasnāt ours to keep.
Depends. I am the eldest of five and was often tasked with being an alternate parent. So I didnāt have much of a childhood. My son is an only child for different reasons, he would have liked a sibling.
Sometimes I think about it (too late now unless I cheat or leave my husband, which I would never lol) but then I think about all the stuff we do with my son and al the attention he gets. We wouldnāt be able to do that if we had more. He would have to share Mamas love and attention of that makes sense! The world is a cruel place and itās only getting worse. I canāt imagine bringing another child into it. My biggest fear is to leave my child before he is ready to take on the world (if that makes sense)
I never wanted a second child and planned to get my tubes tied. Gave it 2 years to think about and truly felt in my heart I needed another. I couldnāt be any happier I had a second.
Nope. I donāt regret it whatsoever. I have the time, resources and financial capacity for one child. She will get the time and attention she needs from me. In my circumstance and personality I could only handle one child and while she may want a sibling somedayā¦ Iāll get her a puppy.
I have only one child, would love another kid one day but if not Iām fine with that.
Sibling relationships arenāt always what some of you are trying to make them. I have 4 siblings and am glad to have 1 child to focus my time, energy, money, etc. into. Sheās my world and deserves my undivided attention and love.
I was an only child growing up (I have brothers from my dad but didnāt grow up together) and I hated it! My first two are 6.5 years apart and he didnāt like that timeframe either. Now heās 15 and Iām due with my 5th child. I definitely see though they fight how much happier they are because of each other.
I do,my son has recently told me how lonely he was growing up! Regretted it ever since! God had other plans I couldnāt conceive as wuick as other females. Took 20 yrs of a difference to have another child & trying for one more! God willing!
I have one. I wanted 2 but didnāt work out in my favor. At this point in my life (45) and my sons age (10) I think itās out of the question. He does have a brother from another mother but they arenāt as close as they use to be and he has a bonus brother thatās 6 years older but lives in a different state. Hopefully itāll come back around in the future
I want another child but donāt want to be pregnant
I am 1 and done. No regrets here. I am 40 years old now so thatās a big fat no. Its easy for me just 1.
I only have 1 son and he keeps asking for a brother or sister. Wont happen. It hurts me for him but I wont go through another csection.
I was an only child growing up, and had a love/hate relationship with it growing up. I never wanted kids at first, and now Iām pregnant with my 4th and final. I love watching my kids interact with their siblings. Itās CRAZY as Hell sometimes, and especially coming from being an only child I want to pull my hair out at times, but Iām super glad they have each other. Weāre not rolling in dough by any means, but are still able to do plenty of things with all of the kids, including vacations and what not. I donāt regret it. All mine are 2 years apart
My son is an only. He gets very lonely and Iād love to give him a sibling but at 39 I went into premenopause
This depends on each family. My husband grew up in a not so close family and only talks to 1 of his 3 siblings. I grew up as an only child in a tight knit family and wished I would have had siblings. We have 3 babies. I pray everyday that they grow up like my family did and they stay super close like they are now. I hope that they are all close when our end comes so they can lean on each other as my family was able to do when my grandma passed. Although my siblings I did not grow up with and I talk here and there now and I love them all dearly I know when I lose my parents it will mostly be me on my own and that scares me. This is definitely based off of each family and person.
I had my tubes tied after 1. I donāt regret it. I am however also raising my niece so I technically have 2 children but only birthed one and have no regrets.
I am not an only child I have 5 siblings and my son has a brother. But I am glad I have siblings if gives me people to talk to, play with, and shoulders to cry on if needed.
I only have one and he is 14 now. His dad was abusive and when I was finally able to leave I learned I was 100% capable of providing everything he needed on my own. If I were to bring another child into this world, and I was left to do it alone, I could not say that I would be capable of providing everything both of them needed. People hounded me for years and Iāve stuck to my reasoning the entire time. I donāt regret it.
My oldest was an only child for 10 years and Iāve asked her if she liked being an only child or if she likes having siblings betterā¦all she said was they both have pros and cons I personally always wanted a second sibling (now on #4) for my daughter so when I leave this world she wonāt be alone
I grew up with a twin sister and twin brothers, I feel like there wasnāt much one on one time, more left to entertain eachother and play outside, I have one boy, and will have one more, but Iāll be done at 2 kids, means when Iām gone, he has family/sibling to be there for him.
I was an only child and I knew I wanted a couple. When my daughter was around 2.5 I really knew I wanted another one. Our family just didnāt seem complete. When she turned 4 we had our 2nd one and I wouldnāt have it any other way. Heās amazing and now I feel like Iām done.
I am in huge debate. My one just turned two in December. I donāt think I could handle a second one, and I love the undivided attention she gets from me. The ONLY reason a second even crosses my mind, is the relationship I have with my sister. But I think it might be a silly decision to have a second babies for my little and not for me, if that makes sense. Iād love that second baby but I donāt want to split my time.
I had 1 for 3 years and it was amazing to only have one, I had money to give him everything and go do things all the time. Fast forward to 3 kids, itās rough. Itās hard to do things cause there are more kids than us, a lot more expense, doing things is a whole lot less common. BUT as a kid that grew up alone ( my siblings were grown up when I came along) it does suck. So I suggest one more but no more than that.
Being an only child as adult sucks
I do. I wish I could have more but I had so many complications with my son i had to get my tubes tied and get a ablation which stops me from having anymore babies
I have 4 children and donāt regret any of them, I love them all with my heart and soul
I was an only child and then lost my mother at a young age. It was supppeerrrr lonely. Even as an adult when I see people doing stuff with their parents/siblings it makes me sad bc I donāt have any of that:( I told myself I would never put my kids thru that and have only 1. It sucked growing up when there is NOBODY else to relate to:(
I have one child but tbh iv always had problems having children but I honestly donāt think I could cope with another now, heās 8 n Iām in my 30s he seems happy enoughā¦
No I donāt even though I could have more I havenāt and probably wonāt. By choice
I only have one bc of medical reasons. I wish I could have had more.
I fully enjoyed every moment of my only childās early years. It was easy being one on one, and I donāt think I would have enjoyed it so much if there were more than one. But thatās a bit self serving. I do think itās better in a lot of ways if they hav siblings, they learn a lot more about socialization, sharing space and thoughts and coping mechanisms. I also think itās more difficult to keep one child entertained if your attention is needed elsewhere. Just a few observations from my own experience.
What I found with my friends who were only children is thatā¦ Sometimes they got lonely cause they didnāt have siblings to play with but when the parents got sick or died they had no siblings to help take the stress off, share the grief with or had help with the arrangements. Iāve heard them all say many times I wish I wasnāt a only child. Yeah people say they have cousins but cousins drift apart and itās not the same at all. I find people donāt think of these things when I did a study on it. Once there parents are gone they are the only ones left in there family of that line.
Because that is what the lord gave us
Regret? Neverā¦I have a son after 3 miscarriages. One child is a blessing!!!
Me and my son have traveled half the country. If I had 2 kids I would of never been able to afford it being a single mother. But on the other hand my son is spoiled asf. I donāt think he would be if he had siblings.
My sister was terrible to me my entire life! I mean from the time we were tiny up to our college years. She would hit me, cut my hair, manipulate me, it was awful! My mom was a single parent. (A widow) since I was 9 and it was hard for her working 2 jobs and raising us. I strongly believe my sister was a large part of the source of my anxiety as an adult!! I never want my baby girl to be treated that way by anyone much less a sibling! I focus all my energy on her and sheās my perfect little angel. One and done for me.
I wouldāve had another if things had worked out with me and his dad but it didnāt. Now heās 10 and Iām 47 so no more babies for me and sometimes I regret not giving him a sibling
I do. If my situation was different I wouldāve definitely had more.
Yes, I never wanted to only have one. My 10 year old daughter makes me feel bad about not giving her a sibling almost every day as well. Iām 43 and single so itās not like I can do anything about it.
I would love to have a second child but I am 40 now so thatās out of the question. I had my son when I was 35 because my husband wouldnāt allow us to have kids till we bought a house so I lost my chance for more children and yes I regret it.
Nope. One and done. He can be my number 1 priority. He can do any sports he wants and participate in any activity he wants because he doesnāt have to worry about it interfering with a siblingās activity.
After a hard time conceiving and delivering, i consider myself blessed to have one. Sometimes I wish I could give him a sibling but I also know he gets a lot more attention and more experiences than he would if he had a sibling.
My only child is a girl and Iāve always ask her if she wished she had siblings. She said " never miss ā¦what you never had"ā¦
I was an only child, it got lonely but i also got all the attention. I told myself i was a one and done. I loved my oldest being the only one, it was so much easier to go and do things and give her all the attention. But I remembered what i felt like not having a sibling and I didnāt want that for her. Mine are 2 years and 9 months apart. Itās difficult but I didnāt want to wonder what if she had a sibling and regret not giving her one.
Nope, my daughter is 13 & we are all content. She has cousins & always expresses how happy she is to not have to deal with siblings lol. If we wouldāve had more, we all wouldāve adjusted, but I had pregnancy issues that resulted in her being delivered at 32 weeks & we decided a vasectomy was our best option after all the complications she had at first.
No my son is 12 and I am very happy with just him. He has half siblings with his dad so he has siblings. I get breaks every other weekend which some moms donāt get. Everyones situation is different.
I thought Iād always be one and done, heās now seven and Iām glad weāve only just had our second. Itās hard work trying to give him the attention he deserves and some days I miss it just being him. Weāve had all of his younger years just us two and Iām glad. Definitely no more for me though
No, when she was younger I did.
Felt like she was ālonelyā but not now, I enjoy it being her and only her. I have a step daughter as well who is much older.
But now we are super close (I was close with my Mom as well as an only child)
And my daughter has 2 sisters on her dads side so she still gets siblings
I grew up an only child. When I saw how siblings fought, how mean they could be to each other, how nasty they could be even as adults, I was glad to be an only. I wanted siblings on occasion but only my idealized version of them.
Plus my folks could afford to take me to nice restaurants, on great trips, save for my college, give me all the attention. I wasnāt spoiled, am altruistic, not stuck up. Easier and cheaper to get babysitters for one child, less expensive day care, school costs.
I always had friends with bigger families; they would come to my house for some peace & quiet, Iād go to theirs for noise and excitement. I have many friends who are like siblings, but I got to pick them!
I had two (surprise) kids. Love them to pieces, but they fought constantly as kids. Got better as they went to different schools (elementary & middle, middle & HS), and had forged their own niche by high school (but they look pretty different & have different last names despite having the same father). Now as adults (28 & 32) they get along, but still have plenty of eye-rolling moments.
Iām very happy with my one and only 5 years old. Sheās a gift. I miscarried twice before her.
I only have 1 child. I do sometimes wish I had another. Only because he doesnāt have any siblings. But he has lots of 1st cousins that heās super close to. He calls them his brothers.
Nah. Kids are stressful and expensive. Im good with just one.
I was happy with only one, Iām happier with 2 ā¦ watching them love each other is the best feeling in the world and theyāll always have each other
My daughter is spoiledā¦but a great personā¦you always have to take friends or other family their ageā¦We were able to provide way better with just oneā¦when me n my husband are gone she will be aloneā¦proā¦if you have assets you dont have to divvy upā¦I could keep goingā¦but i regret not having another oneā¦and my daughter at 20 would love a siblingā¦
I hated being an only child. I got to see see my friends all the time but I always lonely and ALWAYS asked for a sibling until I found out my mom couldnāt
I was one of those that thought one was plenty!! I was sooooo wrong.i decided i would only have oneā¦but i lost my only son a couple of years ago to a seizure. Now i will only have a forever 18 yr old.HAVE A SECOND ONE!
I have three. 6, 4 and 10 months. My older two fight constantly but the bond they have is amazing. My oldest is really good with the youngest but my middle child misses being the baby. The hardest thing is finding time to spend quality time with each of them. I grew up with 4 siblings and couldnāt imagine growing up any different. I do remember how much less stressful it was to have only one and sometimes I miss that.
I am feeling this question big time. My daughter is 14 months old.
It took 8 years to even get pregnant. And then I spent the entire time on bedrest. And it was an awful experience. Iām at the stage where I dont want to go through that again. But then I feel ill regret not giving her a sibling. In the event anything would happen to my spouse and I at least sheād still have someone. Iām torn.
Absolutely not. I am so grateful I have her that I wouldnāt dare complain that I need more.
I was only going to have 1. My daughter started begging me for a sister/brother at age 5ā¦ I finally gave in when she turned 8. Iām glad to know theyāll have eachother to lean on and talk if anything bad happened to me. Iām so done though. This is much harder in my 30s than in my 20s
After 8 miscarriages I finally got my rainbow baby so absolutely not shes everything and more and I feel so lucky to finally had of made it to being a mummy to my beautiful princess there are so many who are unfortunate so I count my lucky stars each day
I am an only childā¦I had one son ā¦ heās 42 yrs oldā¦ I had him when I was 34ā¦ I always wished I had more but I had caesarean and then my tubes tiedā¦I hardly see him since he was on his own at 18 yrs of ageā¦ itās very lonely now
Iām an only child and I am very glad that I had two kids even though they are 11 years apart
I thought I was going to have an only and when my older one was 10 we kinda said lets try and if it happens it happens. It happened right away and he always bugged us for a baby and he loves him to peices. Even with the age gap Im glad they will always have eachother.
Iām holding out hope to have another by 33. Currently 27. I see how lonely my son is but also financially I am able to give him everything he wants and needs.
My daughter was an only child for 11 yearsā¦thought sheād be my only one! Now she has a little brother who just turned 1 last week and loves him to pieces sheās also a huge help! Im glad I gave her a sibling, even with the age gap.
My girls are 7 years apart. One of my doctors had 6 kids and said one of the best things you can give your kids are siblings and Iām so glad I did. Iām also glad I waited so long. My oldest daughter is 7 and she is a huge help! But itās also ok to have an only child, itās whatever works best for you and your family
Iām an only child by my mom. I have a step brother that I hardly see. I have one, beautiful, wonderful child. As much as I would love to give her siblings, I canāt due to unfortunate circumstances. Yes, Iāve thought who is going to be by her side if things were to happen to her father and I. But we also formed a will to ease our minds. Sheās super close to my best friend and her children so Iām happy with just having one.
My daughter was going to be an only child. She desperately wanted a sibling. #2 was a surprise, unfortunately my daughter is my only living child. I canāt imagine not having another now.
As my son in law puts it, " you will never regret having another child, and itās better than wondering what if later" . But you have to do you!!
I have a 5 year old son, hes my miracle baby, I was told I couldnāt have children after we lost our first. At times I wish he had a sibling and then thereās moments where itās nice only having him. He does get spoiled because he is my only living child but, there are times where I sit and wonder what life would be like had we not lost our first.
I have a friend who is an only child. She has always encouraged us to have more than one child. She felt everyone should have a sibling so when your parents are gone, you still have someone and youāre not alone.
My fiancĆ© is an only child and doesnāt really have a close bond with his family. I, on the other hand have a sister and a brother and am so thankful for them! They have also given me 2 nephews and a niece!
My fiancĆ© has a daughter that is 11 and my son is 1. They have the best bond in the entire world and love each other so much. Iām hoping one day to add one more to our family
Im worried about this as well. My son is 10 months and im really torn on if i want another one or not
I was diagnosed with PCOS at 18 so never thought would have babies got unexpectedly pregnant with my first when I was 25 gave birth when I was 26 then had another at 27 and another at 28 they r 2,1 and 6 months wouldnāt change it for the world their bond is unreal
I am only having one of my own, but I also have 3 older step kids. Its all up to you and where you are in life. You can always change your mind.
I have only one. My biggest regret is not giving her a sibling. She is our everything! We are fortunate .
Sometimes my daughter has a half sister by a different mother there close but she gets so upset when she goes back to her momās my daughter is 7 and my stepdaughter is 12 . Id love to have another baby but such a big age gap. An almost 35 i feel like my decision would have to be soon. But being a thriving working woman. I donāt wanna go back to sacrificing my career baby are hard to find sitters and i donāt like to miss work like to be reliable. An i missed my daughterās first year pretty much working her dad got to see al the first time things i feel like i missed alot but also wanna be a thriving working woman.