When I was little I used to tell my parents that I knew I had a sister and that they should just confess it, but that's obviously just because I really wanted to have a sibling. I tend to forget that I'm an only child, but I'm always reminded since I'm usually the only one in the class that can admit they don't have any siblings when we do those ice-breakers at the beginning of the year. Nonetheless, every time someone finds out that I'm an only child, they never fail to say something that I haven't heard many times before.
1. "So you get everything you want, right?"
Unfortunately, to many people's surprise, just because I didn't have siblings growing up doesn't mean I got everything I asked for. Sure, I probably got a lot of things, but most only children aren't actually drowning in toys and money, and if they are, it's definitely not because they have no siblings.
2. "Oh, I can totally see you being an only child."
Thank you? I'm not really sure what makes someone come off as an only child, but I hear this comment a lot. Half the time people say this because I'm quiet and nice, and the other half is because they assume I have a lot of expensive things. Either way, I guess coming off as an only child is a compliment at the end of the day.
3. "Oh my gosh, I would hate to have no siblings."
Most people that tell me this usually have a lot of siblings, and then they like to go on about how horrible it would be for them to live without their brothers and sisters. You don't know what you've never had, so even though it'd be awesome to have a sibling, I'm not dying without one since I never had one in the first place.
4. "But you're not a brat."
It's always really nice when people say this to me and of course I'm grateful for it, but they say this because they assume every only child is a brat. I don't know what kind of only children other people meet, but every one I've met has been the complete opposite of a brat. I can't say that I've met a mean only child.
5. "I'm so sorry."
It's okay, honestly! I kind of love being an only child. A lot of people tell me this after reminiscing on their experiences with their siblings, but there's really no reason to apologize. I'm perfectly happy being the only child in my family!
6. "I can't believe you never had to share anything."
Luckily I grew up with a really close group of friends, so although I don't have any blood-related siblings, I pretty much grew up with brothers and sisters, so yes, I had to share. If anything I feel like a lot of only children share too much, but that might just be my bias coming in.
7. "There's no way you're an only child."
Once again, I'm not really sure how people have determined that I either do or do not fit their list of what it takes to be an only child, so I try to take this comment as a compliment as well. Whether they think this because they assumed that I had sibling or because I acted out of character for a person without one, I don't think I'll ever know.
8. "I would die to have no siblings."
I know no one actually means this when they say it, but I know if I took someone's sibling away, there's a 99% chance they would hate it. Understandably everyone has times when they don't want their sibling to be their sibling anymore, but it's a pretty different life when you don't have any.
Even though I wanted a sibling when I was little and still wouldn't mind having one, being an only child is something I've come to love especially as I've started college life. Just remember, despite everyone believing that only children are stuck up and spoiled, you might find a few outliers that don't exactly fit that belief.
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