My Son is an Only Child: Will he get lonely?

Dear Mom of 1 –

Many parents choose to have one child only and there should never be shame or guilt associated with this. I understand your concern about your son being lonely and you are not alone. I would strongly encourage you to make sure that your son has plenty of avenues to meet other boys that share similar interests. If he likes music, have him play an instrument or sing. If he likes sports, do your best to put him on a team where he can meet boys his own age. If you have the means, put him in many extracurricular activities to help him meet other kids and keep himself occupied.

Most children only need one or two good friends during the school years so don’t worry about your son having a lot of friends. And- just because he doesn’t have a close friend now doesn’t mean that he won’t in the near future. I know that you worry about him being lonely but many single children don’t feel this way.

As far as how much time he can be alone after school, many children do get lonely…