Only child families
Many couples are now choosing to have children who will never have any siblings. Literature suggests that these children are often viewed as being spoilt, selfish, lonely and maladjusted, however, research does not agree with this negative view. Only children appear to be bright and successful, self-confident, self-reliant, resourceful and popular with other children. "A major reason for this may be that only children have somewhat closer relationships with parents, who exert more pressure for mastery and accomplishment" (Berk, 1996, Pg 505). Only children often have more pressure placed upon them by parents to excel in tasks and have often high expectations for school and sporting results placed upon them. Only children miss out on the growing and learning and forms of socialisation which comes with having siblings. Only children have the advantage of not having to fight for their parents attention and may have the opportunity of more one-on-one interactions. The one-child family has both pros and cons, as does every family lifestyle (Berk 2000, Papalia & Olds 1995).