National Only Child Day

Celebrate the sense of independence and high achievement that often comes from being the one and only kid in the family by getting involved with National Only Child Day! 

History of National Only Child Day

As modern trends change and families lean toward having fewer children, the only child is becoming more common in society. In fact, according to Pew Research, it seems that the number of families with only one child has increased by 100% in the last 50 years or so!

These siblingless children who function as the sole kid in their families may come into this place with a number of advantages as well as disadvantages, just as every situation in life does. Talk to some only children and they might say how amazing it was to not have to compete with a sibling for their parents’ attention or that they always got to choose the movie. But other only children might also remember being lonely and jealous of their friends who had siblings to play with.

No matter the pros and cons of being an only child, many kids grow up in a family where they don’t have siblings and this day is set aside in honor of them. The first National Only Child Day was established in 2010 with the purpose of celebrating and appreciating single-child families.

How to Celebrate National Only Child Day

Show some love and appreciation for the that only child in your life (perhaps it’s yourself!) and celebrate National Only Child Day with some of these ideas:

Celebrate Some Famous Only Children

One interesting way to celebrate National Only Child Day might be to look into a number of different famous people who were raised as an only child.

• Betty White. This classy comedian with an almost unbelievable career spanning more than 70 years grew up as an only child during the Great Depression.
• Daniel Radcliffe. That’s right, not only was Harry Potter’s character an only child who lived in a cupboard, the actor who played Harry was also an only child!
• Sammy Davis, Jr. This American entertainer started his career in Vaudeville at the age of three and was raised as an only child.

Host a National Only Child Day Gathering

Only children, unite! When other people are getting together or going home for the holidays with their brothers and sisters, it might feel different for an only child to go it alone. But National Only Child Day is a great time to take stock of the people in life who are only children and have a little party just for them!

At the party, perhaps for entertainment it would be fun to watch some classic films that feature only children characters, like any Spider-Man movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (featuring only child Charlie Bucket), or The Neverending Story (with only child Bastian). 

For folks who are not only children but who have siblings, other events can be celebrated throughout the year, such as National Siblings Day in April or National Brothers and Sisters Day in May.