Fraternal love diminished by cultures desire to have one child?

[Giggly_Giraffe]

Certainly, China openly has a “One Child Policy”, but the Western Culture too silently applauds the one child family. I was wondering how this perception may challenge those sharing the scripture to those who do not have siblings.

Question is inspired by Pope Benedicts, "
DEUS CARITAS EST"

 

[Trishie]

Does the Western culture applaud having only one child?
I ask for clarification as that hasn’t been part of my observation and experience.
I know innumerable families with two+ children, very few with an only child.
The single children of my experience have a close friend with whom everything is shared.
Would you see this as generally true?

Do those who are single children find fraternity with others?
Is it a natural response to find community?
My youngest son said to me last evening regarding the two young men he goes riding with, two brothers. “When we are riding together and hanging out together it’s as if we’re real brothers.”
He is isolated from the family by distance. True, he grew up with brothers, however is this a natural response in human beings, to find outlets for fraternal love where it is absent?
He has never really liked being alone, and not having brothers nearby, he finds fraternity with those of similar interests.

Is this the human response to a lack of fraternal relations? If we lack it we seek it with others in clubs, communities, shared interests, in playmates as children and in close and trusted friends as adults?

In my own country, “mateship” has always been an almost sacred thing, binding men together in loyal friendship that could perhaps be regarded as fraternal?.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Although maybe it was worded as somewhat of a generalization, I see the OP’s point. I’m an only child but was born during the Baby Boom in the US. I felt like a real oddball around all the children with siblings. And I did struggle socially with how to interact with peers at school and to this day I have to be careful I don’t act selfish (or unintentionally in a way that could be perceived as self-centered) - both for my own spiritual growth and yes, for pride’s sake. I don’t want to be stereotyped because I was raised an only child. BTW, my parents wanted more children but my mother’s health prevented it. :twocents: