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Comment by justhereforthe | Hacker News Reader

May I ask if your son is an only child? I’ve thought about online homeschooling my son when he’s old enough (he’s still a baby), but I wonder if he would be lonely if he turns out to be our one-and-done. You mentioned your son’s beloved jiu-jitsu; does he have other outlets for meeting friends and socializing?

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He has a younger sister. As for other outlets for making friends and socializing, team sports are indispensable. Also great, and surprisingly underutilized -- in my observation -- are playgrounds.

With playgrounds you get the best part of school, recess, without the rest of it.

If parents would look up from their phones for a minute and watch what's going on in playgrounds they'd be amazed.

Recently I saw about 20 kids, across a wide age range, hold a spontaneous, well-organized game of Among Us.

You won't just make friends there; you'll run in Draco Malfoys too; and that's also valuable.

Most only-childs wish they had siblings, and many one-of-manys wish they were only childs. My wife was raised as an only child and is stunned by how much our children fight with each other.

Almost all only children say that they were lonely. There is something special that happens sleeping in the same house as siblings.

On the other hand, many of the only children I know (I'm close friends with 4, all from different backgrounds - one a non-US childhood) are all quite creative and independent people. Sometimes being allowed to be bored is excellent.

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