Welcome to Only Child!


In the ten years since we started Only Child, we have received thousands of letters and email from around the world. The mail continues to pour in from parents of only children, only children, friends of only children, grandparents of only children, and everyone in between have written to us about their joy, anxiety, confusion and concerns about the world of the only child. So much, that makes it difficult to respond to each letter individually. We do, however, try to incorporate many of those letters and concerns into Only Child.

Current Issue

Vol.8 #4

Only Child

HIGHLIGHTS

Just the One

Jennifer Niesslein, Editor at Large ~ Co-founder of Brain, Child magazine, and her husband have one child. "It’s not something I make a fuss over because, to be honest, we don’t have big reasons—philosophical, environmental, medical—for holding the line at one kid. Also, when you make the decision not to do something, the story’s a little thin and the scenes behind that decision feel quiet, personal, and, well, slight."

Invasion of Privacy

When only children become adolescents, parents wonder how much privacy to give their child. It’s a tightrope walk. Give too much and your child may think that there is no trust. Give too little and your child may think that you don’t care. Barbara Ruth Williams, Assistant Head and Director of Admissions at Village School in Pacific Palisades, California offers sound advice on this very important issue.

007 ~ Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan is an old-fashioned Hollywood star. An only child who had a difficult upbringing, Pierce was never bitter. Instead, he found refuge in the theatre where he could express his feelings in appropriate ways. Voted People Magazine’s, "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2001, Brosnan continues to make films that engage him, but he is also spending more time with his young family.

The Empty Nest

When an only child leaves home, things can feel empty but much is gained as well. Dr. Carl Pickhardt writes that the cure for parental sadness over a child leaving home is "parental gratitude." He explains that as children become adults, parents must redefine their relationship with their child and be ready to treat them as grown-ups (or at least as "almost" grown ups).

DEAR ONLY CHILD

Only Child offers advice and answers your letters.