Being an only child means owning fifteen baby dolls (see above picture for reference to that one). Being an only child means people will call you a spoiled brat at least once a week for the rest of your life, even if you're not. Being an only child means being one of the only people to raise their hand when the teacher asked: "does anyone have no siblings?" It also means bawling your eyes out when your parents joked about having another kid.
But honestly, being an only child means so much more than that. It means independence and freedom. It means getting to join in on the "grown-up talk" when your mom has friends over.
I definitely saw some downsides to being an only child. They were absolutely outweighed by the positives, but there were some negatives. One of those being a line that my best friend will never ever let me live down. We have been friends for about ever now, but the first time I went to hang out with her, I was immediately greeted by her busy household filled with three siblings. So, for most, that is not a lot of siblings, but for me...woah.
Apparently, shortly after arrival, I asked her maybe if we could just hang out at my house next time, and every time after that. I don't remember that because I probably said that in any other place that I could not hear a pin drop, but we're just going to trust her on this one.
Being an only child is very special though. You don't have to share (great when you're young, bad when you're not young).
This shortcoming would probably be my biggest complaint so far. So think about this, all you non-only children out there, what if you never had to share anything with anyone? Besides for your seat-neighbor in third grade when they forgot their pencil case at home. It's a little bit tough for me to even share a kitchen appliance at this point, hopefully slowly but surely, I will be able to lend my spatula to my roommate sometime in the near future.
Sure, you have no one to blame your actions on. And if you forget to take out the trash, it's your fault and only your fault. But, if you're cute you can get away with it.
As an only child, I believe I grew up with a strong sense of independence. I was never afraid to be alone. I felt more mature when I was younger, as I communicated a lot with adults just because they were there. I was never afraid to meet new people or strike up a conversation with someone. This has been a trait that has helped me throughout my academic career.
I feel very satisfied with my life as an only child and I would not change it for the world. Could I imagine my life with siblings, absolutely not? I value my relationship with my parents so much because of the quality time I have spent with them throughout my entire life. I defintiely can't be sharing them.
If you don't like being the center of attention, the only child position definitely is not for you. The blessing and the curse that comes along with this is that you never do fly under the raider. You can run, but you can not hide!
So, maybe I have been cursed with the only child syndrome. But hey, if you got it, flaunt it.
