The only child and his or her parents may have special problems when it comes to settling the issues of parent‐child identification and attachment. Children, regardless of birth order or number of siblings, cope more easily with the developmental tasks of the oedipal period if there is not pressure to remain loyal to just one of the parental pair. The child without siblings and his/her parents face a continuing oedipal triangle unless the parents maintain a comfortable and united partnership at best, or at least are able to encourage independence in the chil