It takes a special type of girl to be the only daughter in a family. Everyone with brothers can attest to the fact that they are insane, but having no other girl(s) to back you up? Yeah, that's been a big factor in shaping who I am today. Check out the 19 characteristics of an only daughter that I've compiled from personal experience:

1. You are very independent.

First and foremost, independence is the first thing you will learn. You have lost track of the number of times either your brothers wouldn't let you play a game or you wanted to play a game that they wouldn't join, so subsequently, you spent a lot of time playing alone. You made it work, though, and now you know how to handle idle time.

2. You have really protective/involved parents.

Being the only daughter meant lots of attention, which was awesome at times (#spoiled) but wasn’t always a good thing… because that meant your parents were extremely protective of their "little girl." Even to this day.

3. You love sports.

You spent a lot of time bonding with the brethren and your dad watching whatever game was on TV, so from a young age, you were aware of how most sports worked. And, you also weren’t afraid of being the only girl playing football during recess (guilty). Tell me again why football is a “boy” sport??

4. You have always been insanely jealous of your friends with sisters.

You’ll just never know what that’s like. Although you’ve accepted it, there’s a part of you that has always longed for a sister.

5. ... and because of that, you relied a lot on your friends from a very young age.

And 9 times out of 10, these friendships developed into sisterhoods that are still going strong today!

6. You show affection through teasing, sarcastic comments, and "love taps."

"I love you" may not be said much, but it sure will be shown in unique ways. Five stars, tackling, random karate attacks, slug bug punches... the list could go on forever.

7. While boys are still great and all, you also are kinda grossed out by them.

What can I say? You learn (and see) way too much living with a bunch of boys, and you've come to the conclusion that they're just plain disgusting.

8. You and your mom have a unique relationship.

Ya girls gotta stick together.

9. You have been the butt of WAY too many “girls belong in the kitchen” jokes.

And they’re really. not. funny. anymore.

10. You are good at interpreting the ways that boys communicate.

While it can be incredibly difficult to decipher which grunt means what, after years of experience, you're actually pretty amazed at your abilities to understand (and speak!) boy.

11. You've never had to worry about someone stealing your clothes... and you have a wide range of "boyfriend fit" clothes at your disposal.

Your brother is probably never going to get that vintage, oversized jean jacket back. Lucky for us girls, loose and boy-cut clothing is trendy.

12. You had a very real tomboy stage growing up.

In an effort to fit in and be relatable, you were always trying to be one of the guys, which has resulted in some pretty embarrassing throwback pictures.

13. It probably took a little bit longer for you to fully embrace your femininity.

Always being around boys just made you hyper-aware of your differences, and you probably didn’t want to highlight them at home. That meant… putting on makeup and trying to sneak out without running into anyone and/or being embarrassed to wear your first pair of heels.

14. You are competitive.

Growing up, it was kill or be killed (figuratively, of course...). Whatever the game, winning was the most important thing, and this passionate trait has stayed with you forever.

15. You’ve learned a lot of useful life skills.

Whether it be painting a room, repairing things around the house, putting oil in your car, or working a power tool, you've got it.

16. You are the resident bug-killer in your friend group.

Freaking out around bugs growing up was not highly tolerated. Ain't nobody got time for that, ESPECIALLY if it's a centipede. You've gotta act fast.

17. You’ve had to suffer through a ridiculous amount of conversations that bore you to tears.

While it's expected that you will have different interests, you have been forced to endure talk about topics that have no relevance to your life whatsoever.

18. You are a BEAST at whatever video game you would play for "family bonding time."

For us, it was Mario Kart. Just give me Luigi and the Mach bike, and I'm set. What can I say... I've been trained well!

19. After all is said and done, you are extremely protective of your fam and love them to pieces.

At the end of every day, having brothers is the absolute best. Although loving them can be hard at times, they have completely changed your life for the better, and you wouldn't give it up for the world!