For the first six years of my life, it was just me, my mom and my dad. No siblings. I am an only child and growing up I was spoiled. I loved every minute of it. I never had to compete for dad's attention. I never got yelled at by mom for not sharing. I never had anyone who would take my things, get in my way, or get me in trouble. It was just me, my mom and my dad.
When I was six, my parents got divorced. I was too young to really understand what was happening, and truth be told, I don't remember a lot of it. I do remember that my parents would argue and I would just go to my room or go outside to play with my dog. I spent a lot of time alone to think about what was going on because I didn't get it. When you are six, life is pretty simple. The life of a six year old is a fairly easy life. Everything is still perfect.
Being only six years old, people would not tell me much. As far as I knew, my mom and dad were no longer going to be married or living together. I had questions but I didn't want to ask them.
As I grew older, I began to understand that not everything is as picture perfect as it was when I was six. I found myself constantly wishing I had a sibling or someone that I could have gone through that with.
Now that I am an adult (or at least legally considered an adult), I've been able to reflect on my life. Being an only child of divorce, I learned that it's okay to be sad sometimes. Not everything is perfect all of the time. I learned that you can't rely on other people for your happiness. You just have to put on your big girl panties and take care of yourself. Some advice my mother gave me later in life is, "Take your five minutes to cry in the corner, then get up." You need to make the best out of every situation. I learned that you can't think of all the things you don't have. Be grateful for what you do have. I've learned that you don't need siblings to feel complete. It's okay to be an only child. I am lucky enough to have friends that love me unconditionally and a mother and father who would give me the moon and the stars. I learned that it's okay to just be alone sometimes, but there is nothing wrong with seeking out company every once in a while. At times I thought I was so alone because I didn't have a sibling, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I have a whole network of friends and family who support me and are with me. They love me and care about me, and I am never alone.
