“Mom of an only child, I sometimes wonder if I am legitimate compared to mothers of large families”

There are many reasons why someone might choose to have only one child. Some parents may decide to only have one child for financial reasons, as raising a child can be expensive. Others may choose to have only one child for career reasons, health reasons, or simply because they feel that it’s what’s best for their family. Every family is different and there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to how many children it is wise to have. The important thing is to make the right decision.

Author Jana Pollack, originally from Boston, spoke about her daily life as a mother on the Romper website. The mother notably told her story: “My son, Lou, was born in October 2020, when I had just turned 35. His birth was a heartbreaking journey until an emergency cesarean section. Two weeks later, just before Halloween, our pediatrician called to tell us that based on the thyroid results of Lou’s newborn screening tests, it was likely that his pituitary gland was not functioning. We had barely heard of the pituitary gland, but we quickly learned its importance when a room full of endocrinologists listed a host of serious health problems our child would have. she revealed. Before adding: “But they were wrong, and he was fine. Dan and I almost immediately agreed that we didn’t want to do it again.”

She chooses to have only one child

Jana Pollack then continued with the reasons for her choice: “Over the years, each milestone brought us new reasons for not wanting more children: a little house we loved, a 911 call that led to the diagnosis of scary food allergies, various other good reasons on paper so as not to want another child When I look at my little family – my sweet husband and my adorable little boy, kind and fascinating –. I feel complete. That alone should be enough…”, she explained. Before adding: “So why can’t I silence this small but persistent voice that keeps popping up in my head? The voice that asks again and again : ‘With only one child, are you really a real mother?'”

Quickly, the young mother began to ask questions about this decision: “I am not surprised to find myself struggling with the fear that Lou will be alone. I dealt with these anxieties by reading about how the stigma against only children is a proven lie and following social accounts like One and Done Parenting. I’m a regular on Reddit, where members call out qA sibling is no guarantee of a best friend or a source of support when it comes time to care for aging parents. They explain in particular that the only good reason to have a second child is because you really want one.

Janna Pollack decided to accept the situation

The young woman then explained that she had discussed the subject with her father. The latter made him open his eyes: “A few years ago, when a second child felt more up in the air than todayI, I talked to my father about it. It was spring and we were having lunch, sitting on the terrace of a seafood restaurant. I dipped a fries in ketchup while casually asking the question that was weighing on my mind all the time: ‘Do you think you’re okay?’“, she confided. His dad then replied: “Of course. It’s just another way of living.”

Now, Janna Pollack is ready to live her life as she sees fit for the sake of her family : “All I can do is try to accept what’s best for me and Dan, what’s best for Lou. Our family will have difficulties (we have had them before) and Lou’s childhood will not be perfect. But it will be neither worse nor better than with a brother or sister. It’s just another way of living. We often tell children that families come in all shapes and sizes, and that every single one of them is beautiful. VS‘it’s up to me to believe it’, she concluded.

A graduate of CELSA, I have always been passionate about journalism since my early childhood. Originally from the South of France, I left Nice, my hometown, to come live in…