The Horrible Punishment Of Being The Only Child

Before I had my son, I never imagined having kids.  My whole focus was school, then starting my career.  But things happen and I was blessed with my son.  He has been the biggest blessing of my life.  I often wonder if I am making a mistake by keeping him an only child.

Not a day goes by that I don't devote my free time to my son.  I want to make sure that he is showered with attention and that he has as much fun as possible.  That is one thing I feel strongly about, kids having fun.  But at times I feel guilty because my son is an only child.  And on top of that, he has no cousins in Amarillo that could come over and play with him.  It seems it a chore to get family over.  My family is from Littlefield, so a two hour drive for a play date only occurs on special occasions.

Growing up, I had plenty of kids to play with.  I come from a family of five and my house was always the place that cousins came to after school and weekends.  We always had a ton of kids over.  My son has nobody and I feel horrible.

Recently he began asking if he could have a big brother.  This immediately got me thinking about how awful it must be to be an only child.  His dad and I are his only playmates.  He does go to school, but that isn't playing.  He needs kids to play with. I could put him in different activities like soccer, but that still isn't the playing he needs.

I have thought about giving him some siblings, but he is turning five next month.  If I were to get pregnant today (which probably won't happen) that would leave almost six years in between.  By the time the baby is old enough to play the things he likes to play, he will have outgrown it.

Not having siblings to play with is only the beginning.  By being an only child, my son has a hard time being told 'no.'  People often look at him as bratty, impatient, and stubborn.  Which I absolutely disagree with.  My son is an angel.  And there are people who have siblings but still have these exact traits.

Is being an only child punishment?  Will my child resent me for the rest of his life?  I hope not.  While I am not planning on having more children, anything could happen.  I just hope that playtime with mommy is enough for him!