by Patricia Bunch

Created on: January 20, 2009

Having only one child, either by choice or because one is unable to have more than one child, leaves a parent of only one child with both advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages of having only one child is the parent has more time to lavish on just one, whereas if there are multiple children, close in age, time must be divided between the children. Why is it sometimes there is a parent with one child and that child is a sweet well rounded child, polite and considerate of all he/she meets and then there is another in the same circumstances with a bonafide brat in every sense of the word.

A disadvantage of being a parent with only one child is there are no built in playmates within the home to help keep the child occupied. The parents have to do everything for the child including playing with him/her and often times the parents allow the child to always win the game. When the child does go play with other children, this isn't the case. They may be the loser and it goes over like a lead balloon. They aren't in the habit of losing any games and they are "brats" and don't aim to take losing this one sitting down. To prevent this, when playing with your child at home, win on occasion. Get your child used to the real world.

The differences in parenting methods influences the development of children. When a parent has a child there is a period of time when that is the only child they have. All parents fall into this category for a period of time, some longer than others. When the first child arrives, the parent is so taken back by the charm of being a parent to this adorable bundle. They may feel they could never love another as much as they do this one. From the time the child is born, every wish is the parents first priority. The parents try to get every thing the child wants without thinking through whether the child needs the thing requested or not. Some parents even allow children to behave dangerously simply because they fear their children's feelings will be hurt if they say "no" to them. Instead of telling them "no" to any given situation, they try to negotiate with the children to change the child's mind. That's not an appropriate method of parenting. That is a recipe for disaster.

Another thing which makes for a brat is buying anything a child sees and wants even if it puts the household into a financial bind. All parents cannot afford a new car for every child on their sixteenth birthday and if one can't, don't feel guilty about getting a good used

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