Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Only ChildUpdated on April 1, 2015
Pros and Cons of Being the Only ChildThe Advantages:
Being an only child can be either good or bad, depending on how you perceive it and how you are brought up by your parents. The advantages could be that you get the undivided love and attention of your parents. They would dote on you more and provide for you more - in terms of getting you stuff, toys, etc. Obviously, being an only child means that your parents have only you to spend the money on and not have to share it among other siblings. So, you'd get more toys than normal, more money to spend than normal, more inheritance than normal, and of course more love from your parents than normal.
As an only child, you may also be spared the complications arising out of having an overbearing, unhelpful, competitive sibling. It is no fun having a sibling like this, who hoards the attention of your parents, who in the eyes of your parents can do no wrong and is doted upon to no end, often at your expense. They may well walk off with much of the inheritance by virtue of being the doted one in the family. As an only child, you would be free of any of these complications.
As an only child, you may grow up to be more independent and able to fend for yourself better, if your parents haven't spoiled you by tending to your each and every need. Not having an older sibling to help you every step of the way may in that sense be beneficial and make you capable of looking after yourself earlier in life. Therefore, being an only child can certainly have its advantages.
The Disadvantages:
As far as disadvantages go, the "Little Emperor Syndrome" comes to mind. For those unfamiliar with the term, "Little Emperor Syndrome" refers to the Chinese situation involving parents and their single child. Of course, all of you would be aware of China's one-child policy. Little Emperor Syndrome is an unintended consequence of that policy. This is a situation in which the parents lavish their love, attention, resources on this one child of theirs, and as a result, the child becomes spoilt and, well, behaves like a "Little Emperor." This sort of excessive attention and care can prove detrimental in the long term for the child. The child gets used to having everything done, managed, taken care of - by their parents. When they have to live in the real world and face real problems, they might not be able to cope with it. They may lack self-confidence to go out in the world and get things done for themselves. They might feel lost outside of the cocoon that their parents created for them. This of course need not always be the case and can be overcome by good parenting.
Perhaps the most apparent disadvantage of being an only child is the feeling of loneliness - not having a sibling to play with regularly and to be able to share your thoughts and memories with. When you parents are no longer around, not having a sibling to talk about things with or look up to for any kind of help or support can be quite a disadvantage. Also, when you parents get older, being an only child, you would have to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of your parents on your own, which might be overwhelming.
As an only child, you may also face an immense pressure put on for example, to keep the family name going or to do well in your academics. As an only child, you would also be watched with an eagle eye by your parents and this may be quite suffocating and stressful for you. If you had siblings, the pressure wouldn't be as much and you may perhaps be able to lead a more stress-free life. This again would be a highly subjective experience. There may be many who may feel no stress at all and are able to take this pressure, real or perceived, within their stride.
My Experience of Not Being the Only Child in my FamilySo, there are advantages and disadvantages to being an only child. However, how each child turns out - really depends on how the child has been brought up, among other factors.
Personally, I always wished I was the only child in my family. Perhaps, it is not a nice thing to say, but that's how I fee genuinely! You know, the grass always seems greener on the other side. In my specific situation, the age gap between me and my brother was just 3 years, and therefore, there was a lot of rivalry and acrimony between us - all through childhood - it affected me quite a bit, not the usual childhood fights, which you grow out of. Being the eldest in my family, I always felt that I was not treated fairly when it came to certain situations, especially conflict situations. I was always expected to be magnanimous and largehearted and forgive and forget - whereas my younger brother was doted on and shielded. I still feel that to be the case to this day. We do get along much better now, but it isn't your usual loving relationship - more formal than familial and loving.
My mom still dotes on my little brother to no end, which is good, but she doesn't see me the same way, which is what I regret and bemoan. I've never quite understood this difference. At times, I think to myself that this is all my imagination - that I am just seeing things that aren't there! That there is really no discrimination so to speak. But, then again, there is a difference, you know what I mean? Perhaps, a lot of you would have no clue about what I am talking about. Then again, there may be a lot of you who know exactly what I am talking about, so there you have it - each individual would have a very unique experience and a very unique answer to whether being an only child is an advantage or disadvantage.
I am sure, there would be lots of single, lonely people out there, who were the only child in their families, who would have wished they had a brother or sister growing up!! There is no real definitive answer to this question, as the responses to this question would be highly subjective and varied based on each person's own unique personal experience. Would love to hear your own personal experiences on being an only child or being a child with siblings growing up. Do feel free to share your personal experiences!
(C) 2009 Shil1978
More in this Series4Thought about how to prepare your child for the new baby on the way? Learn what you can do to help prepare your child for the arrival of the new baby!
7Dealing with sibling rivalry can be tiring for a parent. Learn how to reduce sibling rivalry and make all your kids feel better!
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Online education has become a popular channel for many students to pursue their degree. The fact shows that most online students are successfully complete their degree program but 40% of them failed. Most of online students are pursuing their degree online because they are seeing many advantages of online education that can benefits them but the 40% that failed do not aware of the disadvantages of online education that cause their failure. In order to avoid you to become of one the statistic of failure in online education, you must first understand the pro and con of taking your degree online before you make up your decision to earn your degree through this online channel. Here are the major advantages and disadvantages of online education that you must know:The Advantages of Online EducationIn today's busy lifestyle, most people have no time to go back to school even they have intention to get more degrees for career advancement, job promotion or simply to learning something new. This is where one of the advantages of online education will benefit these people. Online education is able to provide you with a flexible learning environment from any location as long as you are offered with internet connection.With a proper time management, you can easily plan your online learning sessions to fit into your busy schedule and follow your own pace of study to complete your degree program. Another key advantage of online education is you can attend the online classes from your comfort home or any location that you find convenient to you. This also means that you can enroll into any online degree program offered by any universities around the world as long as they make their degree program online. With that in mind, you do not need to worry about unable to find a degree that can't meet your career or lifestyle requirement.In general, you can complete a degree online in shorter period of time if compare to the same courses offer in campus-based programs. Unless you purposely delay your courses due to fail to proper manage your time. In term of tuition fee, although it's not always true, but in general, online degree programs cost less then campus-based degree programs as most of learning materials are in downloadable format and the credit hours required to complete an online degree program is comparatively less. Hence, you could save some money by taking your degree online.The Disadvantages of Online EducationThe advantages of online education can become the disadvantages if you are not the right candidate for online education. The flexibility of planning your own schedule in online education could be the disadvantages for you if you are a type of person that can't manage your time probably between your work, family and study. If you are this kind of person, a pre-plan schedule may fit you well, letting yourself to study at your own pace with your own schedule may causes you fail to complete your degree program.As most of online learning materials are in text format, if you are not comfortable with this format and prefer to listen to the lecture instead of reading it. Then, it will become the disadvantage for you and you need to reconsider your decision before you choose online education to be your degree pursuing channel.Are you able to communicate well through chats and discussion forum? You must understand that these media are the key communication channels in online learning environment and you must be able to adapt to it else it will become a disadvantage for you.SummaryBy understanding the advantages and the disadvantages of online education, you will have a better understanding on how these factors will affect you if you choose to pursue your degree online.
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around the world.The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using FacebookUpdated on August 21, 2015
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The advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook.
Facebook is the most popular social networking site of all time. Within six years, Facebook has experienced dramatic growth—it has reached more than a billion users and is still growing rapidly.
For many, Facebook has become an integral part of day-to-day life. However, while the social media site can be very useful, it's important to avoid becoming addicted to it. This article features a comprehensive list of the pros and cons of using Facebook in your everyday life.
Did You Know?1. , fb.com,
all open the same site.2. To find the official pages of Facebook founders, add "4," "5," or "6" to the end /. For example, /4 will take you to the official page of Mark Zuckerberg.3. More than 250 billion photographs have been uploaded to Facebook.4. Facebook needs several exabyte servers to store all of the information uploaded by its billion users. One exabyte = one billion gigabytes.
Facebook is free—and not only that, but it's also one of the best mediums for communication. You can send messages, start a video call, and upload photos and videos without charge.
Facebook lets you connect to different people from anywhere in the world. People everywhere these days are familiar with Facebook. This gives you the opportunity to learn more about the culture, values, customs, and traditions of other countries—a modern-day pen-pal service without the hassle. It also helps keep long distance relationships alive. Sometimes these across-the-world relationships get serious and even end up in marriage—a testament to the power of this social media platform.
Facebook is the most convenient tool for finding old buddies and keeping friendships alive. Often when friends move away it’s difficult to keep communicating with them. Facebookprovides the opportunity to easily communicate with your old friends and keep up-to-date one what they're doing. It's fun to see their photos from around the world!
It's an easy way to share feelings and what's happening in your daily life. You can share your achievements to get some appreciation, or you can share your sorrows to get support from your generous friends.
The site has good privacy settings, allowing you to choose your desired level of privacy.
Facebook fan pages, groups, events, etc. are getting more popular by the day. Fan pages and groups are very handy for promotional activities. This is why almost every well-known brand has a Facebook fan page and is investing lot of money to get exposure to their core constituents.
Facebook groups can also be a great way to connect all of your close friends. You can create a group and keep it private in the group's settings. Features like group chat, notifications, file sharing, etc. can help you communicate and stay up-to-date easily.
Facebook now also offers you an email address, another handy feature. These email works just like Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, and Hotmail, allowing you to send and receive email with users both within and outside of the site. The email address is based on your Facebook user name. For example, if your username is "Ding Dong," your Facebook email address will be "." You can also receive files attachment through Facebook email.
The newsfeed plays a very important role in getting the latest information. Facebook fan pages and users are constantly sharing articles, photos, and videos.
If you're a business, the site also allows you to advertise. Fan pages are very helpful for a successful marketing campaign, because they allow potential consumers to engage, stay informed, and share with friends.
You can chat both online and on your phone with Facebook messenger. For students who don't yet have a mobile device, this messenger can be downloaded as an app on an iPod or tablet and used just like text messenging in areas with WiFi.
Many popular celebrities and organizations are using Facebook to give regular updates to their fans, allowing you to feel closer to them than ever.
Students can use Facebook for group study by creating a group only for studying. There, you can share information about your projects, homework, assignments, exams, due dates, etc.
Relationships can blossom on Facebook. For long distance couples, the easy communication can help keep the love alive all the time they're apart. The site can even help people eventually tie the knot.
Facebook online games are popular and addicting. There are millions of users who regularly engage in these games.
Besides the games, there are thousands of applications, quizzes, etc. available.
You can also use the site to create your own social media platform. Share your article, blogs, photos, etc. to thousands of people.
Facebook's like button connects you to many other websites. If you see a like button on another website, you can click it to like it on Facebook, making it more likely for your friends to see it in their own news feeds.
Your login ID means that you don't need to waste your time for registering other sites. Most sites and apps now allow you to instantly register by logging in with your Facebook account.
Facebook is well-designed! There are no distracting colors or designs available. Facebook's simple design and efficient performance made it the world's dominant social site.
What else? In a nutshell, Facebook is the full package of communication, education, entertainment and addiction!
After Reading That Huge List, You Need a Break! Listen to This Beautiful Song
Disadvantages of Facebook
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Some people can become addicted to Facebook, to the detriment of their grades or other priorities.
Now it's time to talk about some disadvantages of Facebook. Anything, no matter how helpful, has its downsides. Some of the main disadvantages of this site are:
Facebook is addicting! For some people, Facebook can be as habit-forming as cigarettes! Facebook is a useful and helpful tool, but it becomes harmful if you begin wasting your valuable time. This is the site's biggest disadvantage, because the loss of your precious time can lead to other problems.
There are fake profiles and IDs. Now it is easier to create fake profiles using stolen pictures. People often use fake profiles to insult or harass someone they don't like.Teen girls are the most vulnerable to these activities. There have been several news stories about people, normally students, who became depressed or suicidal after being harassed on Facebook.
There are plenty of groups and fan pages out there that condone extremist, unaccepting points of view. These are being created to abuse or violate other religions, personalities, nationalities, etc. This kind of discriminatory and often racist activity is not acceptable on a global site like Facebook. If you see a site like this, report it. Facebook administrators should take necessary steps against all of these abusive groups and pages.
Certain Facebook activities have fueled conflict between social media-savvy couples. According to a , around a third of divorce filings in recent years have contained the word "Facebook." Posts, pictures, and geo-tags that indicate a partner might not be telling the truth can be used as evidence in the divorce process.
Too much time on the site has been correlated with bad grades, or student results. Students who don't study or pay attention in class do not get good marks in their exams unless they cheat or are way too smart for the class in the first place!
People can stalk you and get your personal information. It is highly recommended not to share your personal information publicly.
Not only students, but also people working in offices can waste time on Facebook. That's why many offices have decided to block the site from their networks completely.
Many people have lost their usernames because their accounts were falsely reported. This is something Facebook administrators should be more careful about. However, you can get your username back with a government-issued ID.
Facebook chat often has glitches.
Different sources have found that Facebook can be life-threatening at times. Unknown people can track your activities and see where you are when. So be careful about whom you add as a friend. It's also a good idea to keep you activities private to people who are not your friends.
Facebook has also been at the center of some very violent news stories. One mother
because it was crying in hunger while she was browsing Facebook, and a husband
because she changed her relationship status. These acts are rare but happen in extreme cases. More frequent are accidents caused by people not paying attention while looking at Facebook on their phones.
By now it should be clear that Facebook has many disadvantages and can be dangerous at times. Every user should use the site carefully to minimize risk by turning on privacy settings and always being aware that people can see everything that's posted. I hope this information has answered any questions you may have about the pros and cons of using Facebook. If you have any questions, please leave them for me in the comments.
Do you like Facebook ? Of course yes not really
More in this Series7Description about the Types of Facebook users
0List of some interesting facts about the Most popular Social Network Site in the World.
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