Being an only child is a blessing and a curse. Growing up, I was always alone. Whether it was a family vacation or just a long car ride, the only people I had to talk to were my parents. Now that I’m older, I can see why they always got annoyed with my constant chatter. The good thing though was that I never had to share a room or share my presents on holidays. Only children have struggles and glories that only they know about.
Growing up lonely.
While growing up, you always had to play one-player mode. You always had to find your way through school by yourself. You had no one with whom to play pranks on your parents. It’s a rough life growing up as an only child. Yeah, there’s always friends and cousins, but it's never the same. We miss out on those movie-type relationships with a sibling.
Presents!
This is certainly one of the best parts about growing up as an only child. Since there is only one child to worry about, all the money gets spent on you. This one is not to be confused with being spoiled. We still might not get everything that we want, but we sure do have it better than kids with siblings.
"Spoiled" is a stereotype.
Not every only child is as spoiled as people think. The common thought is that “They always get what they want and have to get their way!” Like many other stereotypes, this is certainly not true. There are a couple bad bananas in the bunch, but the majority of us are not this way. We're just like other children, just without siblings.
Parents get annoyed.
Very, very fast. Since there is no one else to talk to or play games with, they take the role of sibling. We annoy them to no ends until finally they finally give in a do what we would do with a brother or sister. I mean it’s their fault that we are alone. They should have had another kid to stop the annoyance.
Creating a name for yourself.
Going through school with siblings can be the worst thing ever. We never have to deal with “Oh, I had your sister, she was the worst student I ever had!” or “Why aren’t you playing football? Your brother was the star quarterback.” We make our own paths and don’t have to deal with any expectations that a sibling set.
Family parties/vacations are tough.
Being alone with just your parents on a family vacation can be really tough. 12 hours in a car can be difficult, and with nobody else to talk to, it makes for a terrible experience. They get very annoyed very fast and most likely will not joke around with you. Same thing goes for family parties. If there is no one close to your age, then they drag on and feel never-ending. With a sibling, time would go by much faster and parents won't have to deal with a bored child.
No life lessons.
Being the older sibling, your job is to teach your younger siblings lessons about life and make sure they don’t make the same mistakes you did. Being the younger sibling, you learn lessons and get help from an older sibling whenever you have a problem. Growing up as an only child, you don’t get to experience either of these scenarios. You have to figure out growing up all by yourself, which can be a struggle, but all only children are capable of handling adversity.
Being an only child is a tough job. There are no brothers or sisters to go to for help, but a few good friends are all you need to get by in life and help figure out your problems. Being an only child is also good because no matter what, you'll always be the favorite child and get all the attention you deserve.
