Calling all only children

[OlivesTree]

Having just read the article in yesterday's Mail about the woman who has been branded 'selfish, lazy and cruel' for having only one child and currently trying to make up my own mind as to whether I should give my DD a sibling, I am interested to hear from those who are an only child and how they feel about it.

OP - I always assumed that my mother would have been less strict if I had siblings to divert some of the attention away from me - although in view of how intolerant she is generally, that`s debatable!

I do realise that my dysfunctional rigorous upbringing has given me a view of being an only child that most people probably don`t share.

Parents today seem far more aware of the importance of socializing their children from an early age, and of spending quality time with them. My opinion was never asked for, and I was expected to eat in silence :(

Personally, I could never have envisaged having just one child. I always dreamed of a house filled with children`s laughter. My greatest wish is that my 3 DCs will remain friends all their lives and always be there for one another. I recently lost my father, and it was a very hard and lonely time being strong for my mother, dealing with the formalities etc with no one to turn to for advice or moral support. Once again I felt acutely the lack of siblings.

Although fwiw my husband is one of five and has no particular bond with his siblings - in fact he only sees them at weddings and funerals :(

It's not necessarily a choice. DD is a miracle IVF baby. Dp doesn't want any more ( I can't force him to want them) and I'm borderline bit too old to use the embryos.

To be fair to The Mail they weren't saying the mother was selfish but that was what other people had said to her.

Never has there been so much angst about a particular family set-up.