Only Child Syndrome: Another Outbreak

I wish I knew what causes the outbreaks of people suddenly looking for help in dealing with Only Child Syndrome. Yesterday I had one of those outbreaks, with relief seekers coming in clusters.

This time the outbreak was limited to the U.S. and Canada. Maybe OCS is a plot-line on a soap opera that popped up yesterday. Or maybe Oprah did an episode on the Syndrome some psychiatrists have opined is a disease.

I've blogged a number of times on this serious subject, originally doing so because I was trying to figure out the mentally ill behavior I experienced from an Only Child last summer in Tacoma.

The bloggings about Only Child Syndrome get a lot of comments. Yesterday's outbreak on people seeking Only Child Syndrome information generated an inadvertently funny comment from an Only Child. This is not the first comment I've gotten from an Only Child in which the Only Child seems to be both arguing against the reality of the Syndrome while at the same time exhibiting symptoms of the Syndrome.

Below is the comment.....

I feel like this is ridiculous.

Only Child Syndrome is a term used to describe selfish characteristics that tend to be exhibited in children with no siblings. being an only child has nothing to do with grammar, intelligence or, family dynamics. The truth of the matter is that growing up in a household where there are no other children you learn some vital survival skills, the first of which is that mom and dad don't always have time to play so be creative and play single person games, second; there is no one to share the task of chores with, so while "John and Jane" get to split and alternate, you are stuck doing dishes every day, third; the only reason to be angry with anyone is when they are insulting/disrespecting you or invading your space. I agree that it is more difficult for only children to make emotional attachments, but I think that with time the difficulty eases and we learn. The moral of the story, We ARE entitled, We DON'T have to share, and if you want us to share maybe you ought to be nice!