For a Gifted Child, Is It Better to Be an Only Child?

Some Good and Not-So-Good Parts of Having a Stand-Out Child in the Family

Introduction to Siblings

There are many different issues and outcomes between and among siblings. The family members’ different personalities, viewpoints, sex, sex roles, and behaviors all have some effect on the gifted children who have siblings. Some of these effects can lead to negative issues that an “only child” never experiences.

My overall goal for the siblings series is that you, the reader, will gain insights from the different scenarios and examples described by the book study participants from my 20-year longitudinal study that revisited the gifted children from 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options, 2005, 2009, and led to The 5 Levels of Gifted Children Grown Up; What They Tell Us, 2023. I’ve also published the first book of a trilogy taken from the “Gifted Grown Up” book so people can find the parts that seem most relevant to them. And the weight of each book will be nicer for readers.

As the participants recall what their relationships and experiences with their siblings were like, I share what they actually said at the time of their interviews with me. Some of the examples are simply common for any family…