I miss the baby stage, that was so easy! Yes the sleepless nights and crying were not fun but now there are questions I don't have answers to, sibling fights, attitudes, potty training, and the constant worry of screwing my kids up for the rest of their lives.

My grown daughter ruins the few times a year we spend together by criticizing a lot. She lives halfway across country so our times are limited. I eat wrong, I wear polyester, etc. etc. (None of this affects her) Our home life when she was growing didn't suit her though her dad and I were happily married and participated in scouts, skating, carpools, everything with her siblings and her. She is on med for anxiety. At some time, she should accept responsibility for her life as she made it. Not us.

Being a mother for the first time will teach you untold lessons. No amount of siblings, nieces, nephews or stepchildren have prepared you. Your arrogance is about to get gobsmacked. Perfection is not the goal my friends.

Do not understand why people just excuse rotten behavior from teenagers as being 'Typical Teenage Behavior" I was never a rotten brat as a teen, over emotional and grumpy sometimes sure, that's what happens from all the hormones. I slept a lot too because of the growing but I never would have gotten away with being a downright little twat calling people names, stealing, throwing things, punching, bullying younger siblings, refusing to go places etc etc. That's just bad parenting. I have four siblings, I am the oldest, none of my siblings were like that either.

My DH was not allowed to be part of his son's life from about 2 until now (except to pay child support). We didn't have the money for lawyers or the time for the never ending drama. When the child was about 13, his mom wanted us to take him (but still get child support). Umm, NO! You messed him up badly. He acts out sexually, is aggressive towards everyone, hoards food. We have three kids of our own to take care of! I don't consider him my kids half sibling either. The way I look at it is, if my husband gave a child up for adoption, why would he be expected to put forth so much effort?

For the sake of all that is good and holy...little boys fight. Little kids fight. Siblings fight. Should a 5-year-old punch his little brother in the nose? Of course not. But that kind of behavior doesn't mean the kid needs to be dragged to the doctor and medicated down to a level that's more manageable for you. We are too quick to pathologize routine, albeit inconvenient, behavior just to have a label and a pill and an excuse.

It really isn't the job of everyone else to make step kids feel equal. If a 1/2 sibling gets a gift,then the step child should deal with it. Sorry it's (siblings)birthday, you don't get a present too.

I love that my five year old loves to read. Sometimes when I check on him after bedtime, he has fallen asleep with a book open on his chest. I really hope his younger siblings also develop that habit. I love to read, and whenever I was having social challenges at school (ie, no friends) I could always lose myself in the world of a book.

I'm curious to ask all the only children out there what was it like growing up without siblings? I don't know a lot of only children so I am curious about it for some reason.

My dad wouldn't let me or my siblings sleep over at kids houses when we were very young, only go to party than he'd pick us up. He finally told us why because he learned with my brother after letting him sleep over his friends dad was a drunk beat the mother up (nothing happened to my brother or other kids) and other instances happened at sleepovers involving friends parents too but my dad would never let me stay. Thank you dad!