An only child is a happy child says research

[muminlondon]

Guardian report on survey

Interesting research. I always thought sibling rivalry or pecking order was the downside of coming from a big family.

I know Mindy. It's pee'd me off all the more that it's in the 'one child families' topic. The one place we should be able to celebrate our families as they are.

I'm quite happy to celebrate my family as it is too. I've got the family I always wanted and dreamed of having.

Unfortunately there are still misguided people who judge families of three though.

This board can on occasions be quite a melancholy place generally because for some people with one child, although they love their only child dearly, they wish they had more and that's bound to make people sad and some of the discussions will reflect that.

Having a family of three is not everyone's wish, as it was mine, and for some people it's not quite the positive experience all the time that some others' see it as.

However, I don't mind those people at all. The ones I mind are the ones whose views and opinions on only children, their experiences of childhood and the sorts of adults they grow up to be are based in pure ignorance.

That's a societal problem and I for one am glad that the piece of research that this thread was set up to discuss was undertaken and published because it goes some way to dispelling lots of silly myths and baseless notions of which "an only child is a lonely child" is just one.

Mindy - I am very sorry that you feel you have to leave MN. Come back soon.

Mindy, I too feel sad that you are choosing to leave. I only rejoined MN again yesterday after leaving for a while because of such meanness. I may well be going again soon.

asmallbunchofflowers you are indeed wise! The research is most questionable to be honest and I would like to read it fully before taking any of it seriously. Do you follow Ben Goldacre and his Bad Science column? He would most certainly agree that such research, that casts a wide net and then trawls the data for extrapolations is bad science and does not allow for variables such as incomes, parental education etc. If they wanted to find out if only children were happier then they would have to conduct research to try and disprove that that onlys were happier than children with siblings.

This research and sloppy reporting of it does nothing to help the cause, as the bunfights have indeed shown

Hello, Claptrap. I posted on your other thread. Are you an old poster under a new name?

Thank you for your kind remarks (although I don't deserve them). I don't follow Ben Goldacre particularly, but I've spent a lot of time over the years designing research or evaluating other people's.

I don't, though, necessarily think that this is poor research. As far as I can tell from the press coverage and the other thread (which I haven't looked at for a while) the wild extrapolations have come from people who haven't grasped that even if the average score for happiness between only children and those with siblings is different, most children will actually have similar scores. That isn't the researchers' fault or problem. Nor is it the researchers' fault or problem if people misconstrue the research findings as making a far more sweeping statement about families than the findings would justify.

To put it bluntly, I've seen nothing so far to suggest that this is bad science. I suspect it's good science, badly reported and misunderstood by people who are not statistically-literate (to mix my idioms). But even good research only stands for as long as it takes for fresh research to cast a different light on the matter under investigation.

Anyway, I've droned on long enough about this. I hate it when threads descend into abuse and bunfights instead of a calm discussion (however forthright) and exchange of views.

MrsTedHughes - I think many here are agreeing with you. Nobody needs research to validate their choices or to use as ammunition to disparage other people's choices. Research is knowledge, that's all.

'To put it bluntly, I've seen nothing so far to suggest that this is bad science. I suspect it's good science, badly reported and misunderstood by people who are not statistically-literate (to mix my idioms). But even good research only stands for as long as it takes for fresh research to cast a different light on the matter under investigation.'

Well said! You're right, it is unfair to say it is bad science without having seen the research. The reporting of it is not the fault of the researcher.

I've always had this username, I was always a lurker. I didn't like the feel of the forum so I left. A friend of mine is a big fan and has persuaded me back.

I am sitting on my hands because I've said plenty on this thread and don't want to say more. It would be a mercy, really, for this thread to drop off Active Convos, never to return.

But I hope to see you around, ClapTrap. Come and have a hot chocolate in the One Child Tea Room if ever you're in the mood.

Please be nice to each other even if you can't agree.

Well i don't know if they're all happy but i am an only child myself and was 100% happy with that . It was GREAT!!. If there is life again i will choose the exact same thing. My Mum knows this and is happy i'm well.....happy!!, so guess we are all happy!! ha ha

My daughter has the best of both worlds (she says). She is an only child at home and when she's at her dads she has a sister. She did say she wouldn't want me to have another child as she likes to have peace and quiet and sit with her own thoughts and not have to share stuff!!