diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ff4dd6a..b1c8f9d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ repo](https://github.com/snoyberg/docker-testing#readme).
 
 ### Usage
 
-> pid1 [-e|--env ENV] [-u|--user USER] [-g|--group GROUP] [-w|--workdir DIR] [-t|--timeout TIMEOUT] [-s|--single] COMMAND [ARG1 ARG2 ... ARGN]
+> pid1 [-e|--env ENV] [-u|--user USER] [-g|--group GROUP] [-w|--workdir DIR] [-t|--timeout TIMEOUT] COMMAND [ARG1 ARG2 ... ARGN]
 
 Where:
 * `-e`, `--env` `ENV` - Override environment variable from given name=value
@@ -33,7 +33,15 @@ Where:
   executing COMMAND
 * `-w`, `--workdir` `DIR` - chdir to `DIR` before executing COMMAND
 * `-t`, `--timeout` `TIMEOUT` - timeout (in seconds) to wait for all child processes to exit
-* `-s`, `--single` - flag if we should only send SIGTERM to the immediate child process
+
+`WARNING`: by default pid1 will first send the TERM signal to it's "immediate child" process.
+In most scenarios that will be the only process running but in some cases that will be the
+"main" process that could have spawned it's own children. In this scenario it's prudent to shutdown
+the "main" process first, since usually it has mechanisms in place to shut down it's children. If
+we were to shutdown a child process before "main" was shutdown it might try to restart it.
+This is why, if the "main" process doesn't exit within `timeout` we will proceed to send the TERM
+signal to all processes and wait **again** for `timeout` until we finally send the KILL signal to all
+processes. This is a **breaking change since 0.1.3.0**.
 
 The recommended use case for this executable is to embed it in a Docker image.
 Assuming you've placed it at `/sbin/pid1`, the two commonly recommended usages
diff --git a/app/Main.hs b/app/Main.hs
index 724337a..3097b21 100644
--- a/app/Main.hs
+++ b/app/Main.hs
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ options defaultEnv =
   , Option ['u'] ["user"] (ReqArg setRunUser "USER") "run command as user"
   , Option ['g'] ["group"] (ReqArg setRunGroup "GROUP") "run command as group"
   , Option ['w'] ["workdir"] (ReqArg setRunWorkDir "DIR") "command working directory"
-  , Option ['t'] ["timeout"] (ReqArg (setRunExitTimeoutSec . read) "TIMEOUT") "timeout (in seconds) to wait for all child processes to exit"
-  , Option ['s'] ["single"] (NoArg (setRunSignalImmediateChildOnly True)) "Flag if we should only send SIGTERM to the immediate child process" ]
+  , Option ['t'] ["timeout"] (ReqArg (setRunExitTimeoutSec . read) "TIMEOUT") "timeout (in seconds) to wait for all child processes to exit" ]
   where optEnv env' kv =
           let kvp = fmap (drop 1) $ span (/= '=') kv in
             kvp:filter ((fst kvp /=) . fst) env'
diff --git a/src/System/Process/PID1.hs b/src/System/Process/PID1.hs
index 72e027e..83f0b45 100644
--- a/src/System/Process/PID1.hs
+++ b/src/System/Process/PID1.hs
@@ -7,12 +7,10 @@ module System.Process.PID1
     , getRunGroup
     , getRunUser
     , getRunWorkDir
-    , getRunSignalImmediateChildOnly
     , run
     , runWithOptions
     , setRunEnv
     , setRunExitTimeoutSec
-    , setRunSignalImmediateChildOnly
     , setRunGroup
     , setRunUser
     , setRunWorkDir
@@ -54,7 +52,6 @@ data RunOptions = RunOptions
     -- timeout (in seconds) to wait for all child processes to exit after
     -- receiving SIGTERM or SIGINT signal
   , runExitTimeoutSec :: Int
-  , runSignalImmediateChildOnly :: Bool
   } deriving Show
 
 -- | return default `RunOptions`
@@ -66,8 +63,7 @@ defaultRunOptions = RunOptions
   , runUser = Nothing
   , runGroup = Nothing
   , runWorkDir = Nothing
-  , runExitTimeoutSec = 5
-  , runSignalImmediateChildOnly = False }
+  , runExitTimeoutSec = 5 }
 
 -- | Get environment variable overrides for the given `RunOptions`
 --
@@ -131,19 +127,6 @@ getRunExitTimeoutSec = runExitTimeoutSec
 setRunExitTimeoutSec :: Int -> RunOptions -> RunOptions
 setRunExitTimeoutSec sec opts = opts { runExitTimeoutSec = sec }
 
--- | Return boolean flag if we should only send SIGTERM to the immediate child process
---
---- @since 0.1.3.0
-getRunSignalImmediateChildOnly :: RunOptions -> Bool
-getRunSignalImmediateChildOnly = runSignalImmediateChildOnly
-
--- | Set boolean flag if we should only send SIGTERM to the immediate child process
---
--- @since 0.1.3.0
-setRunSignalImmediateChildOnly :: Bool -> RunOptions -> RunOptions
-setRunSignalImmediateChildOnly x opts = opts { runSignalImmediateChildOnly = x }
-
-
 -- | Run the given command with specified arguments, with optional environment
 -- variable override (default is to use the current process's environment).
 --
@@ -185,16 +168,15 @@ runWithOptions opts cmd args = do
   for_ (runWorkDir opts) setCurrentDirectory
   let env' = runEnv opts
       timeout = runExitTimeoutSec opts
-      single = runSignalImmediateChildOnly opts
   -- check if we should act as pid1 or just exec the process
   myID <- getProcessID
   if myID == 1
-    then runAsPID1 single cmd args env' timeout
+    then runAsPID1 cmd args env' timeout
     else executeFile cmd True args env'
 
 -- | Run as a child with signal handling and orphan reaping.
-runAsPID1 :: Bool -> FilePath -> [String] -> Maybe [(String, String)] -> Int -> IO a
-runAsPID1 single cmd args env' timeout = do
+runAsPID1 :: FilePath -> [String] -> Maybe [(String, String)] -> Int -> IO a
+runAsPID1 cmd args env' timeout = do
     -- Set up an MVar to indicate we're ready to start killing all
     -- children processes. Then start a thread waiting for that
     -- variable to be filled and do the actual killing.
@@ -223,10 +205,7 @@ runAsPID1 single cmd args env' timeout = do
 
     _ <- forkIO $ do
         takeMVar killChildrenVar
-        if single then
-          killImmediateChild child timeout
-        else
-          killAllChildren timeout
+        killAllChildren child timeout
 
     -- Loop on reaping child processes
     reap startKilling child
@@ -269,30 +248,21 @@ reap startKilling child = do
                     startKilling
                 | otherwise -> return ()
 
-killAllChildren :: Int -> IO ()
-killAllChildren timeout = do
-    -- Send all children processes the TERM signal
-    signalProcess sigTERM (-1) `catch` \e ->
+killAllChildren :: CPid -> Int -> IO ()
+killAllChildren cid timeout = do
+    -- Send the direct child process the TERM signal
+    signalProcess sigTERM cid `catch` \e ->
         if isDoesNotExistError e
             then return ()
             else throwIO e
 
-    -- Wait for `timeout` seconds. We don't need to put in any logic about
-    -- whether there are still child processes; if all children have
-    -- exited, then the reap loop will exit and our process will shut
-    -- down.
+    -- Wait for `timeout` seconds and allow the 'main' process to take care
+    -- of shutting down any child processes itself.
     threadDelay $ timeout * 1000 * 1000
 
-    -- OK, some children didn't exit. Now time to get serious!
-    signalProcess sigKILL (-1) `catch` \e ->
-        if isDoesNotExistError e
-            then return ()
-            else throwIO e
-
-killImmediateChild :: CPid -> Int -> IO ()
-killImmediateChild cid timeout = do
-    -- Send immediate child processes the TERM signal
-    signalProcess sigTERM cid `catch` \e ->
+    -- If the 'main' process did not handle shutting down the rest of the
+    -- child processes we will signal SIGTERM to them directly.
+    signalProcess sigTERM (-1) `catch` \e ->
         if isDoesNotExistError e
             then return ()
             else throwIO e