Do Children who are the “only Child”, in a family, display different habits, & characteristics, from those with Brothers & Sisters, once they become adults?
Just heard, from somewhere, that they are more adult, more articulate, and many other things, once they grow up.
The article, by someone whose name I’ve forgotten, says that, when he meets an adult, say at work, he can always tell if they were an only child.
Is that real?
No personal experience of that as my parents had two children. It is said that being an only child can be better as one obviously has more attention and possibly more material possessions so wouldn’t lack in that way. When it comes to emotions though I doubt any parents would be able to give the only child more love than if there were others too. Loving children is not something that has to be diluted, it’s just there for your children, however few or many there are.
There’s an interesting article on the link below to a psychology website, one that I’ve used before when wanting to know something about ‘how we tick’ at a time when it was important to me to find out:
Is your sibling still alive and are you close Baz?
No idea Minx on the first question and we never were close is the second answer. The answers to both questions can be easily clarified though. Some 20+ years’ ago, there was a big family problem, money was being taken from our mother. I was asked by her to sort it out, which to a degree I did, getting most of the money returned by the bank as my sibling did this by fraudulent transactions. She then ‘did a runner’ abroad with her almost ‘millionaire-on-paper’ boyfriend and nobody has seen her since. A very distasteful thing to do, even worse was the fact had that money been wanted for any genuine reason, it would simply have been given to her, it did not need to be stolen. However, sometimes that’s family for you. This is far more common than people realise, so I was advised at the time. 
I was an only child. I was very lonely and longed for siblings.
As a grown up I see that for every person who is close to their siblings there are more who are not.
My hubby, my friends - none of them have much to do with their siblings.
I realise now I haven’t misses as much as I thought I had.
I don’t think I display different characteristics but I am a bit fussy in such as I wouldn’t share a room with anybody, like going on holiday with a friend I mean - I have to have my own room. I wouldn’t drink out of anybody else’s cup or lend my clothes to anybody - worse still wear anybody else’s clothes. Whether this is to do with being an only child I don’t know…
Other than that I think I’m normal. 
I grew up in the countryside with four brothers, 3 older, 1 younger, and we were all close agewise. Close in other ways too, erm at different stages of our development. Then we all grew up and drifted apart, getting together on occasion and taking the piss. I just can’t imagine a childhood without siblings.
Yep I’d go with that Ted. I’m an only child and if anything good came out of it, it has made me very independent. Although I’m not ant-social, I prefer my own company and I never get bored, always finding something to occupy my mind. Sometimes other people are a distraction, that’s why I enjoy the forum. I can turn it off when I’ve had enough… 
That’s me OGF.We could be brothers 
I have two brothers .
As children my mother favoured them she was a woman who didn’t really like other women .
She loved me but love and like are not the same .
The only thing we have in common is the same parents .
A lot depends on the circumstances, the parents - and the ages of the siblings.
I am one of three - born to parents who did not want - didn’t even like - children. There were long age gaps between us and we had little in common with each other. The brother left home - joined the RN - when I was nine and sister died when I was twelve so, I suppose, I became an ‘almost only’ then. Taught me self reliance.
One of my Great Grand Children is 6, and is an only child.
He joins conversations, like an adult, uses long words. etc!
He played a leading part, in a recent school play, and remembered all the words (of which there were many)
That may not seem a lot, to many people, but he’s way way beyond where I was when I was 6.
That’s interesting Ted, I think an only child has that undivided attention from mum and Dad ,my sons girlfriend is an only child, very mature lady , extremely well spoken and my son reckons she is far more intelligent than he is, also a very quiet lady.
Hi Pauline!
Yes. that backs up my thoughts.
Of course, children usually attend school so they have other kids to learn off, in the growing up process, but the first 5 years, without, might be the crucial part!
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The undivided attention as an only child from parents is life-long so that must make a lot of difference to the child. I know myself and my sibling were very different in what we received by way of material things. Not too sure about the attention received in other ways though, we were both very different youngsters anyway. 
[quote=“Tedc, post:13, topic:83957, full:true”]
Hi Pauline!
Yes. that backs up my thoughts.
, but the first 5 years, without, might be the crucial part!
Pauline replied…
That’s what I was also told by a child physiologist,… she was the daughter of the lady I used to clean for…we had some interesting chats together on my t,break, when she visited.
My son may as well be an only child, he is estranged from his siblings for many ,many years, he had my undivided attention as a divorced woman and single, he is extremely well mannered, went to university, he has more insight than me in many areas, extremely confident young man I believe…also a gentleman…I made darn sure I instilled self worth into him and positivity…not feeling sorry for myself…but I was fed negativity…three brothers and a demanding father, he took a lot of attention away from us kids, …he did the best he could though as did my mother…they learnt from their parents.
May I ask why hes estranged from his siblings?
It’s a long story, my two older sons went through hell with me and my ex husband, they are quite right in disowning me, I tried to make amends, but they don’t want anything to do with me…they never bonded with my third son, because he is the son of the ex husband who put my older boys through hell…it’s all very sad…my poor son has suffered the consequences of our actions…sorry just explained to LQ…as I didn’t want to ignore her question.
My two older boys were from my first marriage.
My third son is from my second marriage.
I was an only child for two years of my life but it didn’t do me any harm. I think…
