Families With One Child

Today, families with only one child are very common. There are many reasons for having only one child, and these can include cultural factors as well as religious beliefs.

Factors such as the economic situation, affection and practicality can also play a role. Similarly, many factors beyond the control of parents can determine family size. These include issues related to the health of the parents or firstborn and the child’s educational opportunities.

Benefits and advantages of a family with one child

Although some parents would like to have more than one child, there are also many benefits and advantages to having just one child.

Use of time

Reconciling schedules and finding a balance between activities is easier and more flexible when there is only one child in the family. Actions that affect a child’s upbringing also require less time. Issues related to health, schooling, leisure activities and travel are all easier to accomplish. 

When time is saved on the above, there is naturally more time to spend with the child. This helps to strengthen the relationship between the child and the parents, to promote a happy childhood and to improve the child’s self-esteem. The time spent together by parents and children creates a good foundation for the child’s emotional development. 

Greater investment in education

When there is only one child, parents can better afford the child’s hobbies and other activities. In single-child families, parents do not have to share available material among multiple siblings.

Certain studies have shown that the only child in a family performs better in school than children raised among siblings. This is due to the fact that the child has more time and opportunities to develop learning habits. When there are no siblings around, the child is better able to focus on studying.

Parents of one child are able to provide all their financial support for the child’s educational expenses. An only child has a better chance of going to a student exchange abroad or going to study at a foreign university, for example.

The child is the sole heir

The division of inheritance causes controversy in many families. Single-child families are in a favorable position in this regard. The fact that the heritage is not shared among many people greatly simplifies the process. Parents also do not have to make special arrangements for inheritance, as their only child will inherit all of their parents ’property.

One child policy

China is known for its one-child policy, and it causes very conflicting opinions. The goal of one-child policy has been to control the birth rate in order to avoid overpopulation.

The law on this policy has been applied mainly in cities – in rural areas, compliance with the law has not been as strict. In rural areas, a second child is allowed if the first child is disabled or a girl. Those who did not follow the one-child policy received substantial fines.

The one-child policy was questioned for many years, especially the methods used to implement it. In 2013, the law was reformed, and after many deliberations, the law was repealed. In 2015, the one-child policy was abandoned and the limit was raised to two children per family.

Other interesting points

Children living without siblings are often more creative, and often their reasoning skills develop earlier. However, some problems can occur when a child is with their peers or when collaborating with other children. However, the upbringing of a child from his or her parents has a major impact on how the child’s social interaction skills develop.

Of course, being an only child also has some drawbacks, which you can read about in our next article, where we discuss the pros and cons of being an only child.