What It’s Like To Be An Only Child

Sure, you get your parents’ undivided attention — but that’s not always a good thing.

In the beginning, life is easy.

Your parents cater to your every wish.

Because you’re their whole world.

You get all the love.

And without any siblings to compete with, it’s easy to be the center of attention.

Think of it this way: without a sibling, you’re getting twice as much of everything.

You don’t have to waste time with silly sibling arguments.

You get all the best toys.

Let’s face it: you’re spoiled.

Which is good, because you never really learned to share.

Unfortunately for you, no one likes a brat.

You never developed certain social skills that your friends with siblings did.

So you spend a lot of time by yourself.

Sometimes you’re forced to invent a friend.

Because being an only child gets really, really lonely.

Without an older sibling to guide you, you’re lost in this world.

You have friends, sure, but it’s a different bond.

Meanwhile your parents expect WAY too much from you.

And they overthink EVERYTHING.

The older you get, the more you realize you could have used a brother or sister.

As adults, your friends bond with their siblings. But you don’t have any.

It’s not fair they get a built-in partner in crime.

And you realize you’re possessive of friends. You crave attention but you need endless amounts of personal space. Basically, you’re nuts.

You’re not great with boundaries.

Or self-control.

Also, your need for everyone’s undivided attention isn’t cute anymore. Sorry.

Look, you’ve learned to be self-sufficient. In many ways, being an only child has given you strength.

But you’re always going to wish, at least a little bit, that you’d had a brother or sister at your side.