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Life with just one child, it seems so peaceful
Filed under: Siblings, Development/Milestones: Babies
Friday night my two younger children were with their father for the weekend. My oldest, Loren, spent the night with me in an effort to find some peace and quiet in the hours before he took the SSAT test on Saturday. We had dinner, had a real conversation and then watched a DVD together. There was no arguing over who got which space on the couch. There were no tantrums. We spent the night in perfect harmony.
The peaceful exchange got me to wondering just what life would be like with only one child. Would it always be such a tranquil existence? Is the lack of stress why my friends with one child always seem more at peace with the universe? If I just had one child, would I be thinner, have fewer wrinkles, think deeper thoughts, do better things with my life?
No. Not too likely, but a change in schedule always makes the grass look greener on the other side. I love my kids and the crazed existence we lead. But I might have to send two of them away more often so that the other one and I can experience the peace together.
The peaceful exchange got me to wondering just what life would be like with only one child. Would it always be such a tranquil existence? Is the lack of stress why my friends with one child always seem more at peace with the universe? If I just had one child, would I be thinner, have fewer wrinkles, think deeper thoughts, do better things with my life?
No. Not too likely, but a change in schedule always makes the grass look greener on the other side. I love my kids and the crazed existence we lead. But I might have to send two of them away more often so that the other one and I can experience the peace together.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-05-2007 @ 3:40PM
Cherie said...I only have 1 child and she is currently 32 months old. I have absolutely NO peace and quiet ever because she is going thru the "terrible two's" now and has been for quite a while. I am sure having more than 1 child can be quite chaotic too but I would imagine when they get to a certain age it is better because they at least have a built in playmate to help take the ease off of the parents from time to time and I do not have that buffer. I am the built in playmate, also let me add being a single parent means I am the playmate, strong arm, cooker, cleaner, and everything else that goes along with it. Any other single parents care to chime in on this one???
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2-05-2007 @ 4:27PM
Nicola said...We have only one child and to be brutally honest, you have outlined above some of the reasons for making that choice. We wanted a family, but we didn't want chaos or a loss of our own identities either. We love to travel -- easily managed with one child. We love to read and to watch great films -- having only one child, we are able to put him to bed at the end of each day and enjoy those quiet moments together. We both have careers, one of which (my husband's) remains on hold until our son is in school full time, but with only one child, we didn't have to sacrifice a decade in child rearing (or hand our children over to other caregivers).
One child simply seemed like the most sane way to do it. And as my friends raise baby number two or three, I can't help but feel sorry for the madness which seems to rule their lives, just as they probably can't help but feel sorry for my lack of more children. To each his own, right?
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2-05-2007 @ 6:09PM
Michelle said...We have an only child (not by choice, we tried for 3 years to have a second.) She is almost 6, and yes, life is pretty mellow and easy. The only downside I can see is that she probably demands more from us, her parents, because she doesn't have any other playmates in the form of a sibling. But a lot of that is fun - no I don't like playing Polly Pockets, but I love just hanging out with her - reading, doing art projects, cooking, going shopping, on a hike . . . I never know what to do when I am around siblings who fight. My blood pressure starts to go up. Sometimes I think God knew what he was doing when he gave me secondary infertility. :)
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2-05-2007 @ 10:33PM
Lisa J. said...Ditto to everything Nicola said. Parenting is never easy, but I think not having multiples has made it easier for my husband and I to keep our careers intact and our marriage spicy. But to each his own for sure!
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