Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 17

April 24, 1990 PI rn 0 ivx' 35 UJ Edison's Our one movies near centennial Asbury Park Press IT niv By TODD R1CHISSIN HM ED Pu irmn The Associated Press New baby boom Iiieany a century aeo a woman in I West Orange brought a lunch gath ering of mends and acauaintances to a building in her back yard to show them what her husband was up to. The Orange Chronicle newspaper gave this account: for the only child By PATTI MARTIN Press Staff Writer Forget about a sibling for little Michael or Jessica. Today's "traditional" family is more likely to include just Mom, Dad and little David. Call it the decade of oneness. More and more couples are waiting to have children.

First-time mothers are older. The dual-income "They saw, through an aperture in a pine box standing on the floor, the picture of a man. It bowed and smiled, and took oft its hat naturally and gracefully It was the first public showing of Thomas Edison kinetoscope, and Mina Edison was showing the women the first successful motion picture. The centennial of the kinetoscope's DINNER RESERVATIONS can be family in many cases is an economic necessity. "People are beginning to realize that having one child is all that they want or can afford," said Susan Newman, author of "Parenting an Only Child" (Doubleday Books, "It's becoming acceptable to have only one." Although the two-child family is still considered the "ideal" family size, the percentage of families opting to have only one is the highest it has been since the Baby Boom of 1946 to 1964.

Of the 32 million families with children under 18, about 44 percent or 14 million have two chil made by calling the Friends of Edison office at (201 736-291 6. official public unveiling in New York is just three years away. SUSAN NEWMAN A group in West Orange is working now to assure that groups can continue to gather at Edison's laboratory to see how be changed the world with 1,093 patented inventions. dren, 37.5 percent or 12 million have one child and about 18.5 or 6 million families have three or more children. Yet despite a trend toward having only one child, couples who want small families need to be prepared to deal with societal and parental pressures, according to experts.

The myths about the selfish only child are as prevalent as they ever were. And childless couples are often associated with the worst traits of the "me first" and yuppie genera While the general public had to wait until 1893 to view Edison's invention, the women who met with his wife got a viewing a full two years earlier, May 21 1891. tion. "Parents of onlies get pressure from all over, The Edison National Historic Site cannot keep up with the number of visitors each year who want to see what Mrs. Edison's friends saw.

Officials believe a visitors center will allow them to handle more groups. Fay Whittaker, superintendent of the Edison National Historic Site, said about 62,000 people visit each year. "It's a treasure for New Jersey," said Wade Knowles, who is helping to spearhead a drive to raise money for the site. "There are over 3 million docu ments down there and they need to be protected. They need humidity controls Famous 'onlies' and light controls." The kickoff to a multi-million dollar from the ladies walking down the street to grandparents who want another baby," said Ms.

Newman, a resident of Metuchen. "And then there's subtle pressure, the announcements that Jason or Janie has a new brother or sister." In her book, Ms. Newman said, she tried to get across to parents and would-be parents the need to review their own personal situations. "They have to know what they want to do with their lives, and then they should decide whether they want to have one, two or three children," she said. "You can't listen to other people, you have to do what's right for you." Although she has a brother, Ms.

Newman decided that for her and her husband, one child was enough. "There was never a question of having another one," she said. Still, parents question their decision to have one. They worry that an only child will grow up spoiled, maladjusted, self-centered and lacking normal social skills. Recent studies, though, lend no credibility to these stereotypes.

Between 1978 and 1982, the Center for Population Research and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development spent $1.3 million on 11 studies researching the one-child family. The studies concluded that the social behavior of only children in no way differs from that of children with siblings. In fact, the studies found that only children tend to score better on intelligence tests, achieve higher academic goals and display more mature behavior than other children. In Project TALENT, a study initiated in 1960, researcher John G. Claudy tested 400,000 American High School students on their attitudes, achievements, interests and activities.

In follow-up surveys conducted one, five and 1 1 years after the students' high school graduations Claudy collected information on their marital status, family size, level of education and current occupation. From his data, Claudy concluded that "onlies" were found to be more cultured, mature, socially sensitive and tidy than "non-onlies," whereas non-onlies were found to be more sociable. The findings also revealed that in comparison to non-onlies, only children displayed greater achievement motivation, attained a higher level of education and had greater long-term occupational and financial expectations. "It's really the parenting style and attitude that influences how a child develops not the number of sib- lings," said Ms. Newman, a contributing editor to "Working Parents" and "Mothers Today" magazines.

"Only children tend to be very secure and because of the high expectation level in only-child families, the children are a little more motivated and driven to succeed and are happy with the accomplishments." Psychological reasons aside, experts also point out that raising more than one child is expensive. A report by Zero Population Growth, "Planning the Ideal Family: the Small Family Option," estimates that parents of a child born in 1988 can expect to pay more than $150,000 in direct maintenance expenses from the child's birth to age 1 8 (assuming a conservative 4 percent inflation rate). Direct maintenance expenditures, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Family Economic Research Group, include food, clothing, housing, medical care, education, transportation and miscellaneous expenses for recreation, reading and personal care. And as the report also points out, the cost of raising a child doesn't automatically stop at age 18 more than half of today's high school graduates attend college.

For the 1988-89 school year, the College Entrance Examination Board estimates that the average expense to put a child through one year of college (tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation and miscellaneous expenses) added up to $6,238 for an in-state public school, $8,279 for an out-of-state public school and $12,924 for a private college or university. In interviewing "onlies" for her book, Ms. Newman was surprised by the responses. "Onlies are everywhere, they were so willing and happy to talk, happy to talk about pros and cons and what they went through," she said. "When you talk to an only child today, they don't think about being onlies; nor do their friends.

They're very content with See ONLY, page B10 Press Staff Report Who says only children are spoiled and socially maladjusted? Just take a look at these individuals both past and present. All are only children all excel in their various fields of endeavor. Kareem Abdul Jabbar Alvin Ailey Lauren Bacall Ingrid Bergman Senator Bill Bradley Carol Burnett Walter Cronkite Sammy Davis Jr. Leonardo da Vinci Albert Einstein Indira Gandhi William Randolph Hearst Charles Lindbergh Jack Nicholson Jean-Paul Sartre Roger Staubach Sarah Vaughan Emile Zola By Patti Martin fund-raising effort is scheduled for May 4. It will include a celebrity dinner in turn-of-the-century style at Eagle Rock Reservation in Highlawn Pavilion, a building where Edison was said to have had a secret laboratory for experiments completed in 1917 for the War Department.

Academy Award winners Olympia Dukakis and Celeste Holm are to attend, with proceeds going toward building a visitors center. The money raised tickets sell for $250 each also will go to preserving the site's authenticity. "A lot of the artifacts are intact," Knowles said. "They were never bothered after Mr. Edison passed away.

His chemistry lab is how he left it. In fact, his lab coat is where he last hung it." Edison hung his lab coat many places. i In Menlo Park, described by historians as the first research and development complex, Edison first conceived of the electrical lighting system not the light bulb, invented by Britain's Joseph Swan. He had a laboratory in Roselle Park, and Edison later moved his operations to New York City. But it is West Orange that is considered the birthplace of the motion picture.

The first motion picture studio, the "Black Maria," also is in West Orange. The women who Mrs. Edison took to see the kinetoscope on May 21, 1891, saw only the crudest of the inventor's films. "The Great Train Robbery" is considered by many historians as one of the first true motion pictures with a plot, even though it wasn't long enough to warrant an intermission. Believed to be filmed in nearby Eagle Rock Reservation, the film lasted about 10 minutes.

Ms. Whittaker said the historic site plans to celebrate all the significant anniversaries concerning Edison to raise money for the project. The culmination will be the April 14, 1993, the centennial of the first kinetoscope showing outside the laboratory. "It's a lot of history and a lot of fun," Ms. Whittaker said.

"It's also a lot of work, but it's worth it." An upside down roller coaster just for the yell of it A By TODD J. SCHMIDT Press Staff Writer I ve never done it standing I up before," said one roller coaster fan to another while waiting to try out the area's newest breathtaker, the ShockWave. I've not only heard some odd things. I've seen them, too. For the first time in my life, I was pushed toward an iron rail contraption by a six-foot Tazmanian Devil.

Such is life at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township. Last week, the park opened its gates to the media and to the American Coaster Enthusiasts for a sneak peek at the ShockWave, the Northeast's only stand-up, looping roller coaster. Taz, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and other Looney Tunes stars were on hand for the official ribbon-cutting ceremonies. (It was rumored that Tweety Bird's conspicuous absence from the event had something to with Looney Tunes' new policy of random drug testing for anabolic steroids. Stay tuned.) The Once the train is loaded, it heads up a steep hill in the classic roller coaster style.

Once the top is reached, th car heads down and to the right and the rest is a blur. After the first drop, the car heads up a loop which has you hanging upside down for a brief, invigorating moment. The car then heads down and around before the car hits a horizontal loop. The speed, according to the Great Adventure people, hits 55 mph, but when you're screaming through the ride it feels a lot faster than the right lane of the Parkway. Did I like it? Well, I went on again and got to sit up front.

My hair is still clenched backward from fright and from the wind. I liked it a lot. If you can brave the mega-lines expected and stomach the admission price to the park Great Adventure's newest attraction is a must for roller coaster fans. coaster was opened to the public on the 21st. The ShockWave, set in the shadow of the Great American Scream Machine, is less intimidating than it would be without the giant drop of the Scream Machine looming right next door.

Yet, the Shock-Wave's 90-foot drop onto a vertical loop while standing up is more than enough to evoke fear. The inaugural riders on the ShockWave were members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts a national organization which updates members of new coaster openings and sponsors excursions to test-ride the attractions. "It's a very good ride," said Chuck Davis of Babylon, N.Y., who is the ACE regional representative for the New York metropolitan area. "It's a nice addition to the park. There are other stand-up rides, but this is different." Davis cites the Swiss manufacturer, Intamin Ag, for the unique shape of the coaster.

According to Davis, the curved drop and deep banks separate the ShockWave from most stand-up coasters. "This is the only one that has four-abreast trains," ACE member Warren Gluck, of Manhattan, said. "You sort of hang off the track." Another on hand for the first ride was John Lloyd, a member of the Amusement Park Advisory Control Board. Lloyd, who took the day off work to help open the ride, was very impressed. "This is as good as the Scream Machine," Lloyd said.

"There's something different about standing up on it. It's really state of the art. This is safer than driving in your car." After the first group of riders had passed through the exits in one piece, I got the courage to climb aboard. Each space on the coaster train has adjustable "seats" that rest against your rear end, between your legs, while you stand and ride. A shoulder stand comes from above and secures both shoulders and your front.

I felt like a sardine. i4 jm ShockWave ride at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township. 1.