12 Things You Shouldn’t Say To The Parent Of An Only Child

9. “You Must Want One Of Each.”

Amazingly, the gender of a child isn’t directly linked to the happiness of their parents, and it’s actually not necessary to have one child in each gender to achieve parenting bliss. In fact, it seems a little shallow to try and encourage the parents of a single child to have more children to get gender diversity, indicating that they can’t possibly be happy with the gender that they have. Logic!

10. “They’ll Be All Alone When You Die”

Wow thanks for that one, that is exactly what every parent wants to be thinking about when they look into their child’s future. Yes, parents aren’t around forever, but that doesn’t mean an only child will be alone. A good network of friends and extended family will allow a child to feel loved and supported long after their parents have passed, regardless of whether they’re only children or not. It isn’t just siblings that children turn to during hard times, and there’s no reason to worry that an only child will be left to fend for themselves.

11. “Don’t You Want More Children?”

This is such a loaded question to ask, and really it’s not one you should be pulling out without any thought as to the consequences. Variations on this include “Just one?” or “Aren’t you having another baby?”. The fact is there are so many reasons that a couple might choose not to add more children to their family. It could be a financial choice, a personal preference, or something medically motivated. While it’s easy to respond to this with “One and done”, it can be painful for people to continually bring it up.

12. “Your Child Needs A Sibling.”

Well, this is just categorically untrue. Nobody?needs a sibling unless that need is to facilitate a bone marrow transfusion. Children might want siblings, but there’s a reason that parents don’t allow children to make all of their own decisions. The fact is that while it can be nice to have a sibling, and some only children feel like they missed out, other people find their siblings were a bane on their lives, and some only children feel privileged to have had so much quality time with their parents. Doesn’t seem so cut and dry now does it!

What crazy things have you heard as the parent of an only child?

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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