As the parent of an only child, with every intention of keeping it that way, I was very happy to read this:
Spoiled, selfish and bratty are terms often used to describe only children, which suggest that being an only child is undesirable. Is there a grain of truth to the stereotype or is it just a myth?
In order to find out for ourselves, “20/20″ gathered a group of onlies in New York and asked them whether they thought the stereotype is true.
“I’m an only child. I don’t think I’m that bossy,” Corinne said, and 16-year-old Ben said, “I’m sure there is but it’s not because & they’re only children. I mean, it depends on the parents. If the parents are indulgent parents you can have 30 kids, they’re all gonna be overindulged.”
While a battery of studies shows no difference with onlies when it comes to bossiness or acting spoiled, it turns out there is a significant difference when it comes to intelligence. A landmark 20-year study showed that increased one-on-one parenting produces higher education levels, higher test scores and higher levels of achievement.
(Thanks to The Situationist for the tip.)
Filed under: Where the Wild Things Are Tagged: | family
