to think that only children are lousy at playing ?

[RosemaryandThyme]

Have had variety of children round to play during the school holidays and have had awful times with visits from and to three children, all boys all age six and all only-children.
None of them seem able to join in or involve others in games, often having break-downs or crying fits (yesturdays boy cried five times in an hour!) all over not getting the toy they wanted or basically not getting their own way.
I appreciate all kids are different and we all parent differently but wonder if anyone else has noticed particular play difficulties with only children ?

exactly what mistlethrush said.

Seem to be a few only bashing threads atm.

ds's best friend is an only , and he's much better at sharing than my son!

Could it be that maybe your children are actually the 'lousy players' and upset other children around them? Or do you live in a surreal other world where children with siblings are great and never do anything wrong....?

Bollcks.

Nice response Apocalypse - says it all

T'is a one word sentence

When spelt properly

YABU

My DS is an only and was as a child always the life and soul of the bloody party!

Like I said in my post, I just wondered if anyone else had noticed particular play difficulties with only children, resounding response has been "No".
Fair enough, end of.

The only bossy kids my child (an only, btw) encounters on the playground are the ones with parents who can't be arsed to do anything about their bossy mouths.

So, yeah, YABU.

So, OP - you have met 3 six year old boys who are only children who are rubbish at playing.

your inference from this is "only children are rubbish at playing". You might as well say "six year olds are rubbish at playing" or "boys are rubbish at playing" and it would make as much sense.

Your sample size is way too small.

Yes, Endo, but in the bubble Venn diagram of the OP's life, her own perfect children also variously occupy the circles marked 'boy' and '6yo'. Rendering such an inference unlikely.

YABU - nothing works better at making my bloody pressure go through the roof when a mother of more than one slates 'only children'. I FUCKING HATE THAT EXPRESSION. i have one dd and she is an incredibly happy, sociable, kind and sharing (with ie her toys) and is NOT AN OVER ENDULGED CHILD. fair game, i do know and have known a fair few women who have brought their child up to behave in ther stereotype way BUT WE DON'T ALL BRING UP OUR CHILD TO BEHAVE LIKE THAT. if anyone said that within my hearing they would most certainly regret it GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Well if we're using anecdotes as data - my 6 year old boy is completely rubbish at playing. Will not share, whines, cries, tantrums, bosses people about. He is not an only child.

UABa bit U
But being an only child can magnify the PFB effect.
My best friend was an only child and she was great at getting her own way, she just expected it. Not in a nasty way she was brilliant at making friends and organising things, but somehow she could get the world to revolve around her in a way non of the rest of us did.

My DD2 would be a vile only child because she also expects the world to revolve around her and unfortunately DH, me and DD1 get in the way

Endo and Lady - your right about me only knowing a few single children, and living in a VERY restricted world here on the compound, we are able to have almost no contact with people on the outside (stall holders/shop assistants once a fortnight, but even then wives aren't able to engage in non-task conversation ie nothing beyond what groceries we are buying). Familes here average 5/6 children but there are so many inter-linking families its hard to really follow whose who.
When everyone is out I can secreatly look at MN - it is thrilling to me to peek out of this little window into a totally different world, and scary too to realise just how far from normality many of the views we have accepted as gospel here, truly are.

As ER (fab name!) says, the plural of anecdote is not data! I have an only and am very aware of people I know or grew up with that had full on only-child syndrome, so I try to make sure DD has playmates here and so far, although she is not the most socially confident child, she seems to be ok. You make a sweeping generalisation - I could say that onlies entertain themselves alone better but there would be plenty of anecdotes to prove this isn't the case. I guess you just have to watch for your particular child's pitfalls.

Is that for real R&T? If so, where on earth are you? And if you are in this sort of situation, your initial post is somewhat less surprising and more understandable...

In any case, I am glad that you've been told by both parents of singles and more that this is not an only-child trait.

OP- tell me this is a wind up right?

Not a wind-up at all, though I do realise (from using the internet) that our lifestyle and views have become more and more secular over the years.
I did think (ohhh this is going to sound even weirder to you guys!) that on MN I'd find others like me, sort of restricted in some way but holding onto the thought "what's else is going on out there" - more and more I'm realising its just me peeking out.
We're just off the western Hampshire-Wiltshire border in England. Its a beautiful rural valley, our Community has grown over the 17 years I've resided here, most of us come via university guides, but mostly grown due to lots of children. For many years I totally loved it unquestioningly, but since having children of my own I don't know I've just now and again started to feel uneasy.
I honestly had no idea that single-children and their parents felt badly represented. We have our weekly forum tonight and I'm just so sure two of the mums here will be promoting moving the single child I had over yesturday (and his parents of course) into a larger communal house.
Sorry for rabbiting on.

Not all only children are like this I'm sure, just all the ones I've met. They don't seem to be able to converse with my younger children and find them very annoying, they are rubbish at sharing and have an inflated sense of importance. This is not reserved to only children but moreso in the children that I've met. Still doesn't count as a rule though.

Please tell us more op about your life style and community if you can.
Thanks.

Are you married op? Or do you have a partner?

Are you married op? Or do you have a partner?