Customer Reviews
A reasonable if unexciting overview - By: J. A. Thomas, 23 Jul 2007 
I bought this book as I wanted to read about the positives of having 'just' one child. I am glad I've read it, but found it rather disappointing. The statistics/studies quoted are not at alll rigorous. The chapters seem rather random, & indeed it's hard to see much difference between them. My synopsis is that "Anne from Oregon liked being an only child as she got lots of attention, Martha from Vermont sometimes found it lonely, & John from Connecticut thought overalll that it was a good thing."
It's not rocket science, then!
No help to me. - By: , 13 Mar 2006 
I got this book to try & help me decide if to 'try for another'. I don't know if I got it for the wrong reason but I found it totallly boring (it may improve but I can't be bothered to read anymore). To me it was just a load of statistics, & quotes put together to make a uninteresting read.... sorry.
Absolutley **FANTASTIC** book for parents of Onlies! - By: , 02 Mar 2006 
I cannot stress what a breath of fresh-air this book is! How long have parents of only children battled or been made to feel inadequate by the fact that they only have one child? Nature has meant that I will only have one child & I am fed up of other people believing that my daughter is therefore going to grow up spoilt or lonely - NOT TRUE! This book gives me the confidence . . . no, I was pretty confident already . . . the ASSERTIVENESS to turn around to those whose comments I haven't asked for & say "well, actuallly . . . ".
Susan Newman's book is well written & approaches the subject brilliantly, regardless of whether having only one child is your lifestyle choice or as a result of circumstance. She covers a broad range of topics with facts, examples & reasons why being an only child doesn't neccessarily mean that the old sterotypes will come true.
Sorry - this hasn't been a very articulate review but I would reallly recommend that you buy this book if you are a parent of an 'only.' Best wishes & good luck!
Throw away your guilt! - By: Ann Leahy, 24 Nov 2003 This is the most sensible & useful parenting book that I have read (and as a bookseller I have read loads of them). As a 42 year old mother of an adorable but alll consuming 3.5 year old boy, I found every page reassuring. I had a difficult time in the first year with my child in terms of coping with exhaustion & severe sleep deprivation & did not even countenance the thought of another child until recently, when I have been coping well, & am happy with myself, work & my child. Personallly I have not felt the need for another, but I had started to worry that perhaps my son needed a sibling. After reading this book I have thrown away my guilt, & now I realise what I had privately thought alll along to be true, that an only child can be as happy & well adjusted (perhaps more so) than one with siblings. I have not had pressure from my own parents to add to my family, but from my mothers’ group & friends. “He’ll have no-one to play with on holidays” they say to me, or “He will be spoilt & too self centered”. I had started to worry about this & even had a few attempts at getting pregnant again. To my relief they were not successful, as I know in myself that another would be too difficult for me, physicallly, financiallly & emotionallly. Susan Newman says it’s better to raise one well than spread yourself too thin. All my private concerns are addressed in this book. Not only does Susan Newman methodicallly disprove alll the myths that surround only children, but there are pages of practical advice on how not to over-indulge your child, & maintain a life of your own.
Throw away your guilt - By: Ann Leahy, 21 Nov 2003 This is the most sensible & useful parenting book that I have read (and as a bookseller I have read loads of them). As a 42 year old mother of an adorable but alll consuming 3.5 year old boy, I found every page reassuring. I had a difficult time in the first year with my child in terms of coping with exhaustion & severe sleep deprivation & did not even countenance the thought of another child until recently, when I have been coping well, & am happy with myself, work & my child. Personallly I have not felt the need for another, but I had started to worry that perhaps my son needed a sibling. After reading this book I have thrown away my guilt, & now I realise what I had privately thought alll along to be true, that an only child can be as happy & well adjusted (perhaps more so) than one with siblings. I have not had pressure from my own parents to add to my family, but from my mothers' group & friends. "He'll have no-one to play with on holidays" they say to me, or "He will be spoilt & too self centered". I had started to worry about this & even had a few attempts at getting pregnant again. To my relief they were not successful, as I know in myself that another would be too difficult for me, physicallly, financiallly & emotionallly. Susan Newman says it's better to raise one well than spread yourself too thin. All my private concerns are addressed in this book. Not only does Susan Newman methodicallly disprove alll the myths that surround only children, but there are pages of practical advice on how not to over-indulge your child, & maintain a life of your own.
