"You're an only child? You are so lucky.", "You must be spoiled and get everything you want.", "You must love getting all the attention."

That is the reaction that I get from everyone when I tell them I'm an only child.

Every. Single. Time. Without fail.

First of all, no, I don't like getting all the attention. I hate being the center of attention. If there's something that includes having all eyes on me, there is a 110% chance that my hands are in front of my face and/or my face is red. My back is most likely facing everyone and I'm crouched onto the ground.

Second of all, no, I'm not spoiled and I don't get everything that I want. My parents taught me at a very early age that just because I was an only child, it didn't mean that I could get what I wanted all the time; I had to work for it. Okay, yes, there have been times where I have been spoiled by them and other family members, but that doesn't mean that it's like that 24/7. For example, during my sophomore year of high school, I was told that if I wanted to buy the things I wanted, I needed to get a job. So with that in mind, I signed myself up for lifeguard classes that summer and got myself a job as a year-round lifeguard at the rec center I had swim practice at. I still work there even now, ayeeee!

Being an only child also taught me things such as loving to be alone. It's actually quite relaxing. Don't get me wrong, I love being around my friends. But, I love being alone just as much. It used to bother me as a kid because I never had someone around that was my age, but nowadays, I don't mind it at all. I've also learned to become more independent because there were, and there still are, many times where my parents are not there to help me do something and there is no one else to ask.

Being an only child also taught me to take responsibility for everything that I do. I learned this at an early age as well because there wasn't someone to blame when I was a kid. One time, I drew all over the walls in my house and said it was Barbie's fault. My parents definitely didn't buy that.

Being an only child also allowed me get really close to my parents. I never thought that I would be as close as I am now with them, but they're the two people that I literally tell everything to. When I transferred from my community college to the university I study at now, I called them at least twice a week to tell them about all the experiences I had. Not gonna lie, I still do it now. No shame.

So, from reading this, hopefully you have more insight on what it's really like being an only child. Hopefully the stereotypes have been knocked away, but if it hasn't, well... it's an "only child" thing.