Just trying to shed some light on 23 percent of Americans.
1. “OMG, why?”
Seriously? Ask my parents, not me. It was my mother's choice to only have one child for financial and emotional reasons. I cannot give you a clear answer on why I am an only child, because it was ultimately not my decision.
2. “You must get really lonely.”
To be 100 percent honest with you, I never got lonely when I was growing up. I had a plethora of toys, activities I was involved in and friends.
3. “How do you feel about other people your age?”
Fine. I feel fine around people my age. I never had issues with talking to people my age or making friends. I was never antisocial or extremely introverted. I was fine. I made friends and had plenty of them.
4. “Sharing must be hard for you?”
No, I enjoy sharing my things with others as long as they don’t abuse my generosity. The only exception is food. Do not touch my food.
5. “You must be self-centered.”
I disagree with this with all my heart. I do not think being an only child automatically makes you self-centered. The argument is, since there is only one child for parents to focus on, you become self-centered and needy. On the contrary, in my own life, since I received all the love and attention from my parents, I didn’t need it from anyone else; therefore, I'm not self-centered or needy.
6. “You must hate big families.”
Once again, no. Bring on the sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, stepmoms and stepdads, even grandma and grandpa. Big families are so interesting and satisfying for us
considering we don’t have one.
7. “Who do you talk to when you're lonely?”
My parents? My pets? My imaginary friend. Honestly, maybe even myself. I have gotten into the most interesting conversations with myself -- it's fascinating and really strange at the same time. Also, we have social media and cellular devices, so anyone is just a direct message, text or phone call away.
8. “I really hope your mom and dad are proud of you.”
Yes, there is that added pressure of “you’re the only one don’t let them down,” but honestly, why is that a bad thing? Why is it bad to have a lot of pressure on you to be successful? It’s out of love for you, and your parents focus all on you because you don't have any siblings.
All in all, being an only child comes with a stigma that we are socially inept and narcissists. Just remember we didn't choose this life style -- our parents did.
