Reply to Who is better spouse -- someone who was an only child, or someone with brothers/sisters?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DH is an only.  He's great but I think there are unique and frustrating challenges that come with him being an only.  The burden of his aging parents is a lot right now, and almost especially on me because I think MIL feels more comfortable getting support from another woman.  DH thrives on quiet and needs a lot of alone time which isn't practical with young children.  I think there's always been a lot of pressure because without us there for holidays his parents are basically alone.  He has only one other relative (who we will also be responsible for as they age) so his family has always felt very lonely to me and the focus has always been entirely on him and his achievements.  I come from a fairly large family so it all feels very foreign to me.[/quote]

My spouse and I both have sibling. I thrive on quiet and need a lot of alone time. Introversion is not limited to only children. In fact, our only child is not an introvert, he would have a bunch of siblings if it were his choice. But I - not an only child - could not handle the chaos of a larger family.

Even though my spouse and I both have siblings, the challenges of aging parents fall on us. In one case, the siblings live too far away to be of any regular help and don't have money to help minimize the burden on us. In the other case, the sibling is unwilling to help.

Holidays are a burden because both families want time with the grandchild. If only childen have even more complications about the holidays, I feel for them. And our child wants holidays with both of the families because he thrives on the family chaos and doesn't want to miss one second of it. My spouse feels similarly to our child, so I see no evidence that's a trait of being an only or being a sibling.[/quote]

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