Are you the parent of an only child? Has it been a challenge for you? If you're like us, you have to be creative in keeping your little one occupied. Otherwise, you get to relive your childhood all over again because you become your child's consummate playmate.

I always imagined I'd have a houseful of children. There were five of us growing up, and in my young heart, I dreamed that I would have the same number of children my parents had because of all the fun (and sometimes mischief) my siblings and I had with one another. If anyone would've told me that by the time my son turned ten that he would not have any siblings, I would've laughed and called them crazy! But, that's just what happened.

Getting pregnant with our one and only was a cinch. In fact, it was so easy, my husband and I thought we were Mr. and Mrs. Fertility. We knew for sure Baby Number Two would come as natural as the sun rising in the east. You can probably imagine our disappointment when after a year of trying again, and still no baby for the effort.

Fortunately, in our case, neither of us had any health problems. For whatever reason, it just hadn't happened. To our surprise, we were informed that a large segment of the population has trouble conceiving the second time around. Do you think that has stopped our son from reminding us that he would love a brother or sister...soon? Of course not!

So, we've implemented what we call "Operation Brotherly Love". Our son is clueless when it comes to O.B.L. But, he joyfully reaps the benefits of the system we put in place for entertaining our little one.

Being an only child, we worried that it would cause our son to be shy. And at first, he was. But thanks to "Operation Brotherly Love," I'm proud to announce that our boy is a social butterfly.

Here's what O.B.L. is all about: surrounding your child with other children that they can interact with! And boy is it fun! Enlist help from neighbors! Get to know the parents of classmates. Got nieces or nephews? They're the perfect playmates for your unaccompanied minor!

Granted, this may cause your house to look like the local recreation center on the weekend, but it certainly gives you a break from having to spend countless hours playing dolls or video games. My son now has more "sisters and brothers" to play with than any other child I know. Yours can, too!

About the Author

Nicole enjoys spending time with her son, Jordan and her husband, Muri. She loves to write, read, travel, working from home and making new friends. If you would like to spend more time with your loved ones, please contact Nicole.

http://www.fulltimefamily.com