Evening star., 1928-06-16
The Only Child.

am an only child; my husband was
an only child: now we have an only
child who Is late born child, too. AS
I consider myself an enlightened par
emit, I was somewhat disturbed 10 learn
at a meeting OF my Child Study Club
that Stanley Hall said: Being an only
child Is a disease In itself" The read
er OF the paper also cited an opinion
that an only child Is much more likely
to be a problem~chiid than one of a
large family; she cited also from book
by Wexberg. who says that child Of
older parents ls apt To be spoiled. and
the only child still more so because he
is at once the youngest and the oldest.
Now is this true? / realize that a
child needs companions and shouldn't
be with adults all the time nor too
much the center OF attraction. We are
both keeniy aware OF all this and hope
to avoid the danger But / can't be-
lieve that being an only child II such
a serious handicap. ONLY CHILD.
Reply.
There is no question that the life Of
child who Ia one OF a family Is provided
with a setting that is more helpful 10
normal growth Of character than that
| an only child But since this Is only
one OF many factors II Ii easy to give
II an exaggerated Importance. This
prejudice against the only child has
come out OF the FTeudian view Of the
family. There seems very little chance
for child 10 be normal. He either has
mother fixation or he has a father
antagonism. II he Is the eldest child
he is dofnineering and presumes upon
lis position; II he is the youngest, he
Is babied and spoiled and the others
give In 10 him too much; ard he can't
escape by being the middle child, for
that also according 10 Dr. Wexberg) IL
. bad situation. The middle Of three
stands too much In the shadow; he
mas neither the advantages Of the
oinests power nor the security OF
being petted like the youngegt" And
iD ne taxes OH nervous systems 10
secure notice.
The advantage ~ all these extreme
views " That one destroys the other
a good deal OF learned nonsense has
been written about the only child: and
sucn notions, when they become DOpu-
lar 90 great deal OF harm All these
relations that the Freudians make so
much Of have been known 10 sensible
parents for ages. You don't discover
much that is new by putting all this
| common knowledge IN the terms 0f
completes and fixations and inferior
tiles. Now This doesn't mean that there
| y no value IN the Frendian system, but
| II does mean that that system OF In
tefpreting traits OF character is most
valuable when 1t Is combined with COM
mon sense, and not when II indnges
IN exaggsrations and unsupported ro~
| nance.
Prof, Fent0n OF Ohio University has
made statistical study Of tile 81
| only" children who were found among
200 pupils He finds that even IN the
two traits that are most usually
/ aseribed 10 only" children, namely,
that they are selfish and unsociable, the
! only" children we're 10 much like
other children that D out of 10 Of them
were just rs generous and just az So
eiabie as any other children. There
we're some very slight differences, such
as that only" children were Just a
| little more seif~eDnfident, but differ
eHees SO slight rs to be insignificant,
In initiative, In 0bedience, In truthful
ness, Ia happiness OF disposition. there