No Child Left Behind: Can Having a Big Family Harm Your Children?

6.  Children from large families never have to worry about being lonely.

As a child I can remember going through a phase that I’m sure all children experience: wanting a little brother or sister.  Sleepovers with cousins were the best thing ever at the time and the idea of getting to have one every night is what initiated the “Conceive Again Campaign” that I ran on parents for about a year.  That younger sibling never came to be, but the truth is at its best a large family is like having live-in friends.  You never need to worry about making friends or having a playmate because you could always find one in a room nearby.  As children get older though, they may long for a sense of privacy and a space to call their own and this can be frustrating especially if there are age gaps and children find themselves in two different developmental stages but sharing a room.  It’s also important for children to make friends outside of the family; it’s healthy for family members to form relationships outside of people who sort of have an obligation to love and protect them.  Lastly, it also may be a struggle for children from large families to learn how to entertain themselves and enjoy their own company.