Lifestyle » Connect with Kids

The Only Child
July 8, 2010 Updated Jul 8, 2010 at 4:03 PM EDT

Only kids may be only child in the family, but they've got a lot of company. Polls show that there are now an estimated 20 million "only child" households in the United States. That means that more families than ever are dealing with the perceived pitfalls of an only child. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one third of all American families will have only one child. Experts say these kids are turning out just fine: "Children from single children homes are just as well adjusted as children who come from households in which there are five, ten kids in the home" says Dr. Jennifer Kelley, a child psychologist
Still, experts say, if children are left to play alone for hours the fear is that they won't learn how to share, compromise or collaborate. Dr. Kelley adds that "what happens often times is that when it becomes time to really interact in the real world, that person lacks the social skills." One solution: single children can join clubs, sports teams or even volunteer. Sarah Brownlee, a mother of a single child says to "make sure that they have lots of opportunities to be around other children, not for just an hour or two, but to interact with them over long periods of time."

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