So I know the title doesn't make any sense at first glance, but hear me out. I have two sisters so I'm not technically an only child, but I might as well have been growing up.
My older sister is 30 years old, I'm almost 19, and my little sister is 9. I'll save you the trouble of doing the math. That means there are 11 years between me and my older sister, 10 years between my little sister and I, and 21 years between my older sister and my little one. Not many people can say that they have a sibling almost old enough to run for president and also have a sibling in elementary school. It's pretty weird, I must say.
When I was old enough to remember anything, my older sister was already in high school and soon enough, she was away at college. After she left, I was essentially an only child, and my parents' primary focus was on me and my activities. For awhile, it was like I had no siblings until my little sister came along; she changed everything. As I've watched her grow up, I've learned how my older sister must've felt when I was younger. Especially when you're out in public; everyone usually thinks your younger sibling is your child and people look at you with unnecessary judgment. That happens more often than you think.
On another note, I know all siblings fight; it's in the job description. But I think my little sister and I fight more than usual because we are in completely different stages of our lives. While the arguing is fairly frequent, it is not all the time and has also gotten better and less often since I've been away at college.
Now, let's talk about the parenting side of things. It's obviously easier to raise one child at a time because your focus is only on them. My parents have an adult child, an almost-adult child, and an actual child. They don't get into a "parenting rut" because they never get used to one age group. They have to be flexible depending on the child and their specific problems; that takes skill.
But what about when these children grow up? As I mentioned before, having a large age gap means each sibling is in a different stage of their life. I can't really talk about my problems as a college student with my 9-year-old sister, even though she probably has some stellar insight. It just doesn't work. My older sister and I aren't close because we never really lived under the same roof long enough to become close; this is just a fact.
So what was the point of writing about my experiences and observations as an only child with siblings? My point is that I don't want my children to grow up with the same age gaps I did. I want them to grow up with siblings near their same age who they can relate to and hang out with and confide in. I think all children should have that.
