"As a parent, have you ever heard the advice that you HAVE to give your child another sibling? I know I was given this recommendation. Once âMommy, play with meâ became my childâs anthem at the age of 2, I started to think that another baby would be the perfect âgiftâ for an only child. After all, whatâs better than a permanent built-in playmate? When I started to contemplate having another child, there were a few examples of siblings that came to mindâthe Hemsworth brothers, Billie Eilish and Finneas OâConnell, and the Hanson brothers. I thought, perfect. Have another child, and theyâll definitely turn out like them. Best friends.
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However, it may not be that simple. One momâs hot take about parenting siblings has over 2 million views, 228K likes, and sparked tons of discussion in the comments. Her now-viral video has people giving their input on whether you should give your child a sibling or be one-and-done.
In the opening of mom Erin Monroeâs (@erin.monroe_) video, she is sitting on what seems to be a back porch. With the sun out, she puts on her sunglasses and talks directly to the camera. She starts off by sarcastically saying, âYou canât just have one [child]. You got to give them a sibling. Theyâll be lonely. Theyâll have nobody to play with.â It sounds like Monroe was given the same sibling advice I was given. Monroe then adds her own piece of advice. As a mom of three kids herself, she argues, âDonât fall for it. They donât play together. They donât even like each other. Theyâre mortal enemies. Just have one and have some peace in your life. I havenât known a momentâs peace in 10 years.â
Of course, this mom of three is sharing a satiricalâand relatableâtake on what itâs like for parents to have multiple kidsâthereâs no right or wrong decision to have one child or more. The comment section agreed. People shared what it was like to grow up as an only child and to grow up with siblings. Parents also shared stories of their kidsâ sibling relationships and how they changed over time. Keep reading for some thoughtful takes if youâre considering whether to give your child a sibling.
What itâs like to be an only child
Some chimed in with how lonely it was to be an only child, and others reported they liked it.
âI was an only child and I was absolutely lonely. What I wouldâve given to have a sibling. Itâs even scarier as my parents get older, I am ALONE.ââ@stonyponylola
âI grew up an only child and people were always like âwerenât you lonely đâ LIKE NO my childhood was so peaceful lolââ@travelwithjax
âonly child, about to have my 9th đ
I hated being an only so muchââ@wdcary45
What itâs like to have siblings
Then there were the comments that painted the picture of what itâs like growing up with a sibling. People claimed they were kids or had kids that were either frenemies (friends/enemies), enemies, best friends, or grown siblings who no longer speak to each other. Itâs a lot to think about.
Frenemy siblings
âHahaha nooooo Erin! Mine def do fight but canât live without each other.ââ@coffecardioandcake
âHahađ They really do fight a lot, but then they end up being the best of friendsđ„°đ„°ââ@donnagene27
âmy Irish twins hated each other at first but as they got older it turned into more love than hate lolââ@_shannabear_
âNah [for] my eldest canât stand her little sister like 60% of the time đââ@foreverweird
Eldest childâs thoughts about siblings
âOur eldestâs supervillain origin story began with the 2nd kidâs birthââ@amandawithadhd
âthat was my villain origin story, too. I still call them the âothersâ and ask my mom why I wasnât enough. needless to say, I will only be having the one daughter đ€Łââ@Kodia33
âI told my parents I remember when my mother was diagnosed with my sisterââ@BellJazzi
The best friend type of siblings
âMine play together â€ïžThey have their moments but they are perfectââ@mhgl2018
âNo way. Theyâre best friends, attached at the hip. Play together all day. Better yet have two under two.ââ@honeyb_11
Grown siblings that donât talk to each other
âMy mom is one out of 10 children. She doesnât even talk to any of her siblings anymore.ââ@lilypad0132
âOmg my mom has 6 siblings. No one talks to each other đ„ș.ââTlawd
Setting realistic sibling expectations
Giving your child a sibling may be part of the decision to expand your family, but setting realistic expectations is important. Parenting siblings requires a lot of mediatingâsometimes even refereeingâ of their squabbles and fights for attention. Some siblings may be best friends, but there is no guarantee kids will be close when theyâre youngâor old. Commenters agreed and shared some additional things to think about when it comes to sibling relationships.
âWhat kills me is when people insist they have to have kids back to back so theyâll be close⊠Like have you ever met any siblings? đ very little [to] do with age and more with their personalities,â @farewellshell pointed out. The enemy phase may also not last forever. @dexter_thedoggo3 said, ânobody appreciates a sibling until [theyâre] grown up. I was horrid to my Sister but now sheâs [my] best friend â„ïž.â @babsinmichigan noted how her kidsâ relationships evolved over time. âThey donât stay little forever. I had three boys who got along quite well as children & are now⊠super close as adults. It makes me so happy to know theyâll have each other when their dad & I are gone one day. â€ïžâ
Patty Schepel, Editorial Intern
As the editorial intern, Patty works with The Everymomâs team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When sheâs not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathonsâshe ran one 16 weeks pregnantâtraveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.