To ask if anyone else has been happy stopping at 1 child?

[Pioneerofaerodynamics]

I don't yet have children but I feel like I would just like one, in order to still manage financially and to still have more free time etc.. I'm sure people will have their opinions like they do on everything "but they need a sibling to play with!!" "But it's selfish to just have one!!".

I feel like it's seen as the done thing to have 2 children with about 2 to 4 years between them, but I believe I'd be happy with just one. Interested to hear from anyone else?

On what planet is the subject trivial? Are you nasty in real life too?

Perfectly happy with 1 DD. Very content and happy with life. Having a sibling doesnt guarantee they’d like each other!

We have one by choice, he's about to go to university and i don't regret it for a second.
He's a lovely lad, has loads of friends and genuinely has never missed having a sibling.
He's really not a lonely only!

Me and don't regret it at all.

I have 1 and love it. I

I have one through choice. I grew up as one of 6, it was chaos and none of us really get on. Interestingly all 6 of us either have 1 or none. I love the (relative) calm that comes with having one child.

I absolutely love being parents of one and so does he! Never once asked for a sibling and we’ve always made sure he is surrounded by his peers/friends! We didn't want to scrimp and scrape if expensive opportunities arose, we didn’t want to stop and think about whether we could afford to continue with the kind of lifestyle we had before him.

We also considered how many children could we offer that same lifestyle to should death/divorce/illness etc ‘happened’.

I have one ds. I didn't consciously choose to just have one, but career and not meeting a decent man until later, meant it happened that way.

I don't think I had much time to myself, even one child can be pretty full on, but I have been able to give him a decent home, education, activities etc.

I worried about him being lonely sometimes but he is a happy, cheerful 18 now so it seems to have turned out ok.

As long as a child is loved and secure, and encouraged at school, being an only is generally not an issue.

This too. I am also one of 6 and didn't enjoy it. The endless noise & squabbles. No privacy, no space. I couldn't wait to leave home.

I was in no rush to have a family, as a result.

I have one and love it. Our house is calm, full of love, great chats and fun.

@Raptors where do you live if you don’t mind me asking? In my daughters class of 30 she is the only only child- luckily this doesn’t bother her but it’s unusual!

We have 1 DD. Didn't want anymore. I knew we could give her all the time attention and money she needed to give her a good life. In our friend circle of 4 couples, 3 have a single child. They are all awesome people and now all late teens, respectful, intelligent beautiful ladies.
My DD is now 18 and my joint favourite person in the world.
I did ask my DD how she was being an only. She laughed and said amazing. She doesn't have to share her goodies and sweets. Lster she did point out that even with a sibling it doesn't mean you will get on. She had a good point. Lots of her friends have siblings. They all fight.

I am so, so happy with my decision to be one and done. Before I had her, I thought I wanted three children! Bear in mind though, @Pioneerofaerodynamics, that it's not something you need to decide now: start with one, hope it's not twins, and then see how you feel.

One was perfect. I was a teenage mum, and just having one child, meant I was able to get my career back on track when she started school. I am now 50, in a senior professional role and mortgage free.

My child had a good life, wanted for nothing without being spoilt, didn't have to share my attention with siblings, and we travelled a lot when she was younger, to the sort of places that shape you and give you different views of the world and are educational. We went to lots of cultural events as well, the theatre, ballet, Glastonbury loads of times.

If I had more children, I wouldn't have been able to get my career sorted, so we would have lived in financial hardship, she wouldn't have had all the experience opportunities she had, which has made her a better rounded person.

My life would be harder now. I would still have a mortgage and still have to work full time.

My niece and nephew are like this, and it's honestly the sweetest thing. But there's no guarantee of having a sibling relationship like that.

Agree completely

I have an extremely toxic sibling, that I have had to go no contact with.

Almost half of families only have 1 child now. It’s not unusual. I always wanted 2 and managed after 2 miscarriages in between. So glad we did.

I am an only child and I have an only child. He's nearly 8 and loving life! Neither of us have the energy or emotional capacity for any more.

We always thought we might only have one. First pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 11 weeks. Then had our daughter who’s 2. Right now we don’t plan to have another and we are happy with that. Many reasons but simply I have no desire fkr another child right now. She is very happy and social, loves nursery. I don’t worry about her being lonely

No, OP, those of us with one child just wander about wringing our hands and weeping 24/7.

I think it must be where you are that's an anomaly. I have relatives and friends who live in various parts of the UK from Scotland through the midlands and down to London and their children's classes all have plenty of only children.

my teenager is happy being an only, they have been able to go on school trips and do activities we wouldn’t have been able to afford for more than one.

That’s what I keep telling my daughter!! We live in north Oxfordshire

I have one DS17. We have a great relationship. At around 9 or 10 he used to say he would hqve liked a brother, but as he specifically said an older brother it was never going to happen 🤣 Since then he has watched his cousins closely and come to the conclusion that not having any siblings is great! He is a good and loyal friend but also enjoys his own company, a useful trait for life imo

I have 1 and he is amazing and funny. No issue with making friends. We can give him a lovely life and not scrimp and save.