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[quote=Anonymous]Adult only child here!  I turned out perfectly fine.  There were times I wished for a sibling, but in general it was fine.  I probably would have learned certain social skills with my peers sooner, but on the other hand I was comfortable with adults from a younger age than my peers.  I had more resources for college and extras like trips.

I admire that my parents have shown a great deal of flexibility about my life, and I think in general as the parents of an only, you need to exhibit more independence and have other things in your life besides your child.  For instance, I live a twelve hour drive from my parents.  I haven't lived close to home my entire adult life.  They do not guilt me about that.  Instead, they've been game to travel to the various places I've lived, they've been happy to see me wherever I am and learn about those places.

I'm sure it's hard, especially now that I have a child, to be far away.  Their friends at church might have family nearby for every holiday, minor or major, and they don't.  I've never spent Mother's Day or Father's Day with my parents, and there's no sibling to make up for that.

The other issue for my parents is saving for retirement.  I don't live nearby.  If they need me to care for them, they'll need to move here--or they need to be able/willing to hire help to stay where they are.  So, use some of the resources you'd use for #2 to save well for retirement.

Of course, some of this might be true with two kids or three, but in general you shouldn't live your life expecting your kid's life to go away, particularly with an only who will likely feel more pressure to meet your expectations.[/quote]

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