The exhaustion you feel isn't from doing too little-it's from treating every gap in your child's experience as a
deficit you must engineer away. Felix Crenshaw's insightful book explores the invisible workload of raising an
only child and the relentless second-guessing that comes from believing you are always one playdate short of
doing it right.
When you parent just one child, every behavioral hiccup becomes magnified, every social struggle feels like
evidence of failure, and the absence of sibling chaos shifts from relief to quiet dread. Parenting an Only Child is
not a sibling-replacement guide, a defense of family size, or a manual for scheduling more activities. Instead, it
exposes the specific psychological traps that turn normal parenting into a 24/7 facilitation job.
Through relatable family scenarios grounded in real developmental patterns, you will explore the hidden forces
shaping your parenting:
- The Spoiled Rotten Myth: Why the assumption that only children "expect things" is less about your
child's behavior and more about your anxiety over being judged for what you cannot provide.
- The Practice Round Problem: Why the belief that siblings teach sharing ignores the fact that kids with
siblings often struggle just as much-they simply fail differently.
You will learn to interrupt the facilitation reflex, distinguish between your child's actual needs and your own
projected anxieties, and stop treating the absence of siblings as a deficit requiring correction. Start reading
Parenting an Only Child today and replace years of second-guessing with the clarity and confidence that comes
from trusting your child's readiness.