A sibling can be a great source of support, according to Dr Andrea Tosatto, a clinical psychologist based in Dubai. It is human nature to live in groups, he stated, and the bigger the family, the closer it is to Nature, too.
He said: “We are physically structured to have more than one child. We are social beings. But, psychologically, the support that a child receives from a brother or sister is healthy. It improves family dynamics. If the relationship between two siblings is good, it’ll guarantee longterm support. You know that there is someone who will share your feelings. For example, when it comes to losing a parent or relative, or in case of other major events, siblings are there for you.”
When speaking to Gulf News on the subject, Dr Tosatto revealed that he is an only child. The benefits, in his opinion, are that you don’t need to share your things with anyone and your parents can dedicate all their resources to you alone. But, this isn’t necessarily good.
Dr Tosatto said: “In modern society, an only child will get the opportunity to maximise the ability to express his or her full potential. If parents cannot afford to send two children to university, for example, they will be able to send that one. But, increased attention is not necessarily a good thing. Parents can focus on all the good aspects, but at the same time they can dump all their anxiety and fear on their only child.”
It is important for children to learn to share things at an early age, Tosatto stated. It helps them learn that they “cannot have it all”. In this manner, they learn to fight for their share, which helps build their personalities. However, in this day and age, some societies are more focused on this subject than others.
Tosatto explained: “The perception of whether having one child is good or bad is culturally mediated. For example, in Western societies, we project a lot on our children and hope to achieve a lot through them. We live in a competitive society and we think that maybe one child could allow us to keep the best opportunities for him or her. This child could study more, achieve more. But, in other societies where there is less pressure, people think less about this subject and tend to have more children. It’s ironic how the priorities are so different.”
