This story was submitted by the site owner, Alicia E Staz.

I suppose my story should have been the first one, but life happens to be crazy right now. How can life be crazy for a stay-at-home mom with only 1 child, you ask? Here’s how…I am a medical writer from home ~20 hours a week, I own a very busy retail website Beaded Royalty, I write for my Handmade Sterling Jewelry Blog, and (last but CERTAINLY not least) I take care of a little girl who is the same age as my son 4 days a week.

All of that said, raising my son to be a well-balanced adult is my top priority. Joshua is only 2 1/2 so I don’t have much history or experience at raising an only child. However, I have read several books about the subject and am committed to learning everything I can. I will add the books to the resources section this week so you can benefit from them as well.

The first and most obvious thing I do for my son is to take care of another child his age - Brynn is an only child too. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been asked “are they twins?” when I am out with them. I have to say “no, but they sure act like it!”. They play like siblings and fight like siblings. After all, they have been together since Joshua as 7 months and Brynn was 9 months. They are both “onlies” but neither knows it. They have to share, get along when they don’t necessarily feel like it and go places together. The room in my house that Brynn sleeps in is “Brynn’s Room.” I plan to take care of Brynn until they are both in school to allow them to benefit from each other’s company.

Brynn’s mom jokes that she pays me to have a playmate for Joshua. However, on days when they are both in bad moods and bickering all day, I would GLADLY trade places with her and return to corporate America. LOL