Growing up, it was just me. No brothers or sisters, just dogs. But that’s different. I loved being an only child, especially since I lived with my mom AND my grandparents because I always got what I wanted. But did that end up being a bad thing?

I really hate to admit it, but I think I became really selfish because of this. I went my whole life not having to really share things or worry about other people my own age, besides friends. My oldest cousin is five years younger than me, so that was still a huge gap, and I didn’t see her all that much when I was little, so I was on my own a lot.

I think a lot of good skills came out of this, such as being able to entertain myself when I’m alone and don’t have anyone to hang out with, but I think a lot of bad things came out of it, too.

I am extremely selfish and spoiled. I hate not getting what I want, to the point where I will cry and fight and argue for things if I don’t get my way. I believe my way is the right way and rarely want to hear anyone else’s ideas. I’m extremely self-aware of these things, and I try my best to not do them, but it’s who I am. Sometimes it just takes over and I become a spoiled little brat. It’s definitely my worst quality.

Only children being selfish is definitely a huge stereotype; I’ve heard people tell me I have “only child syndrome,” but stereotypes exist for a reason. Sometimes they’re true, and this one definitely is true for me. None of this is really the fault of my family. In my opinion, they did everything for me to make sure I DIDN’T end up like this. I was enrolled in dance and Girl Scouts and summer camp, and my mom frequently allowed my friends to come over, in an effort to help me socialize with kids my age. But being the only kid at home affects you in a certain way, and it did with me for sure.

I've always loved attention. I can recall a Christmas Eve with my family, when my three younger cousins were finally all old enough to open presents on their own and understand what they were doing. I was about 11 or 12, and I had only really asked for gift cards and a few computer games, so I didn’t have much to open. But my cousins each had toy after toy to open, and I got upset to the point where I cried because I was jealous that they got more stuff than me. In reality, my gift cards were for the same amount as their toys. I wasn’t used to that happening. I was always the star of my family, and it was honestly really hard to accept that I had to share the spotlight with other people, even though they were my cousins.

However, all of this made me a lot more confident, because I had to fight for attention in a way. I’m not really scared to speak up if I want someone to notice me. I had a lot of quiet time to myself, so I got to work on homework and educational skills, which lead me to doing very well in school. So being an only child isn’t ALL bad. I’d say I’m pretty awesome, even if I might die without attention every once in awhile.