As individuals grow older, face encounters, and endure numerous experiences, they have a tendency to eventually discover an inclusive sense of security in their daily life. When people keep a blind eye open to anything outside of their comfort zone, often times they see no reason to think about how different their lives could have been if particular events had not occurred. These were some of the same thoughts that drifted into my mind as I prepared for this assignment. Through it all, I became further captivated with the notion of how different my life would have ended up, had I remained an only child in my family. For this study I will define an only child as an individual who does not have any siblings. According to the Office of National Statistics, there are about 7.7 million families with dependent children and 3.7 million of which have just one child residing in America today. This makes it is no hidden secret that Americans are having fewer children than before. Researchers have concluded that the number of families with just one dependent child have risen to about 47% and without doubt is expected to rise beyond 50% within a decade or two. And with such statistics constantly escalating, I find it essential to specifically study children under 18 in order to explore whether there are any stigmas associated with being an only child? Why they exist? And whether there is an observable difference in socialization between children who grew up around siblings and children who grew up as an only child? The study of being an only child is important because many people view being an only child as detrimental. Granville Stanley Hall, the founder of child psychology, emphasized that “being an only child was a disease in itself” (... ... middle of paper ... ...m than children with siblings. Similarly, though there was no difference found on school performance of both only children and children with siblings, only child tended not designate strong emphasis on materials such as grades or looks. The hypothesis for this study was precluded. The study proved that emotional well-being did not have an impact on the cognitive development of only children. In particular, only children did not exhibit a higher threat for unhappiness of self-acceptance. Also, only children do not believe that their performance in school is any much higher than those around them and they tend to place attention on popularity. Yet, there is no 100% guarantee that only children are not affected by certain aspects of life. Being that only children assume they are not the best looking, urges them to be more aware and very concentrated on their looks.
The comparison between siblings has become a universal problem over the past several decades, as implied in Peg Kehret’s elementary monologue, I’m NOT My Brother; I’m Me. Through Jonathan, Kehret expresses the valuable message to never judge people based on the characteristics of their siblings. As the oldest child in my family, I support Kehret’s message and additionally believe that every individual is different and hence, should not be judged or compared with their siblings, family members or friends.
Children in smaller families perform well socially and academically. Parents have the means to put their children in better schools and extracurricular activities to ensure that their child is social. Their personality is the biggest factor of how a child is, not because they don’t have another child in the home to interact with. Just because a child does not have a sibling, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have friends and family members to interact with. A child’s personality is what makes them social or not, not the siblings or lack of that they
Walsh, Froma (2003). Normal Family Processes: Diversity and Complexity. New York, NY: Guilford Press http://family.jrank.org/pages/1577/Single-Parent-Families-Effects-on-Children.html retrieved August 24, 2008
When we think about television families, it is usually the happy nuclear families with a Mom, Dad, and a couple children. What if that family is not a full family and there is a parental figure missing? Would missing a parent really affect the way a child is raised? The realization of single parent families in everyday households is becoming more and more a reality in the United States, and television shows are relating to this fact. The new trend in television is to have a single Mom or Dad facing the odds of single parenthood, while raising two-to-three kids, working at a full-time job, and still taking care of the household.
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
Growing up as an only child I made out pretty well. You almost can’t help but be spoiled by your parents in some way. And I must admit that I enjoyed it; my own room, T.V., computer, stereo, all the material possessions that I had. But there was one event in my life that would change the way that I looked at these things and realized that you can’t take these things for granted and that’s not what life is about.
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process
Sibling relationships, which play such a critical role in a child’s overall development, take on special significance when one of the siblings has a disability (Gallagher, Powell & Rhodes, 2006). Often, as children develop, they may choose behaviors they experienced at home, while others emulate the socialization in which they were so familiar. Regardless of how the socialization plays out, it is an influential factor in the way adults live. The relationship a child develops with his or her parents can serve as a model for subsequent relationship with siblings. Whiteman, Becerra, & Killoren (2009), found research to support that a theory of sibling influences: sibling social learning is directly linked to how siblings develop similar and different attributes, attitudes, and behaviors. These demonstrations that children perform for a sibling can provide them with the skills and habits necessary for participating in today’s society. However, many different circumstances can affect this performance in siblings. Factors include parent divorce, a loss of a family member and a child with a disability. (Conger, Stocker, McGuire, 2009).
Everyone has a family, rather it is with your biological relatives or long-time friends. A lot of people have been raised in different types of households rather it is with a grandparent or a foster parent. Everyone has their own individual story of their particular support system. In most cases, people have been raised with both parents, which is ideal in this society. As years gone by, a lot of changes have occurred within raising a family, whether it be getting raised by a LGBT couple or being raised by a sibling. The most common change that has occurred is single-parenting. A lot of children are being raised by either just their mother or father. In most cases, the mother is the single parent. Being a single parent can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. In this essay, I will explain the ups and downs that come with being a single-parent.
Fifty years ago, the typical American family included a mother, father and their children. However today, “One in every four children in the United States are being raised by a single parent. Experts point to a variety of factors to explain the high US figure including a cultural shift toward greater acceptance of single parent rearing.”(Armario). As these numbers continue to rise due to modern day ideas and the increasing divorce rate, the children of single parents struggle. “Today 41% of all births were to unmarried women.”(Hymowitz). Single parent families have a detrimental effect on the psychological development of children because single parent families lack financial stability and quality parenting, in addition to lacking a stress free environment.
Throughout history a one-parent household has been deemed as a nontraditional family, but in today’s society it seems more and more common with every day. Although the reason and causes vary, each year the number of children raised by a single parent increases. Most people don’t seem to realize how much this can change a child’s future. The impact of childhood experiences simply set the disposition of adulthood and the rest of their lives. There is not one sole factor that affects child development, but one very important one is the role and relationship created with one’s parents. How a child is parented and raised leaves a lasting impression on them, commonly for a lifetime. You can see how this might alter a child, being that one parent is missing. Child development based off of living in a one-parent household is very circumstantial because each child and each parent are different individuals. But one thing is for sure; all areas of child development can be affected due to a missing parent, including social, cognitive emotional, and physical areas. I sat down with Dr. Carlos Antoline, a children’s school psychologist to see what the real impact of growing up in a one-parent household has on child development.
Influence plays a major role in their overall development. Promoting social and emotional skills and intervening in cases of difficulty very early in life will be effective for promoting positive experiences among children. Peers play important roles in children’s lives at much earlier points in development. Experiences in the beginning of life have implications for children’s acceptance by their classmates in nursery school and the later school years. When I was in the fourth grade a really wanted to be accepted by people around me. I would switch my friends a lot looking for people’s approval. For example, if I was friends with a girl on Tuesday but I heard someone say she was weird I would abandon the friendship in order to gain peer approval. Early friendships and positive relations with peer groups appear to protect children against later psychological
Up until March 5th of 2009, I had been an only child. Many big changes occurred in my life the year prior to the birth of my new brother. My mom became remarried, we moved to a bigger house down the same street, and there was talk of a new baby in the future. The remarriage was a small celebration held at a quaint location on a chilly fall night, a night you would rather be snuggled up on the couch with warm, fuzzy blankets drinking from a mug of hot cocoa. The move was a breeze, as I can just about see the old house through the tall maple trees from the new. I carried whatever I could back and forth, running quickly back down the street to grab more. The excitement of a new house chasing me to and from. Lastly, the talk of a sibling. I wasn’t sure what to think. The thought of a sister excited me, but a brother not so much. I wanted to share my dolls and dress up, not have to play with mud and trucks. Despite my wants, I had a feeling it was going to be a boy. The day of the ultrasound, I made a bet with my step-dad the baby would be a boy. After, I was a dollar richer and a sister of a brother to be. Having to wait a few more months to meet the little guy would be torture, as the anticipation was killing me slowly. I may not have been ready for the changes made and the ones to come, but I took them like a champ.
I was an only child in my family for about a year and a half. Of course I don’t remember being an only child, but I feel that time will be similar to my first year at college. I’ve en...
Many people grow up with a sibling, in fact eighty percent of people in the United States and Europe grow up with a brother or sister (Dunn 1). Most people can agree with the statement that growing up with siblings has impacted their development and personality. This topic has been researched by psychologist and sociologist for decades; which has provided both positive and negative outcomes of growing up with siblings. Children can benefit from growing up with siblings because they can learn from their siblings, gain social skills, and their siblings may become a valuable asset in one’s life.