Over the years, no matter how many people I meet, when the question of siblings arises and I mention that I don't have any, I normally receive a version of one of the five questions below. At this point, my responses are basically rehearsed and memorized, but to the person asking the questions, I ask you, "am I the first only child you've met?" or "have you never asked this to anyone else? And if so, did you really expect our answers to vary?"

1. What's it like not having siblings? / Do you wish you had siblings?

What's it like being the oldest? Or the youngest? It's a little tough to answer this question because there is no alternate reality of my life in which I have had siblings, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to hypothetically compare my life to. As for the second question, I've gone my whole life without having any...why would I want one now, 23 years in?

2. Are you really close to your parents?

As a matter of fact, yes. I am. I'm also close to my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother, & friends. Just like you might be. Being an only child may mean that the attention wasn't split when I was younger, which obviously will make me close to the people that raised me.

3. Don't you get lonely?

I got this one a lot growing up, and so did other childhood friends that were also fellow only children. To this day, a lot of my friends and peers think that I'm one of the most outgoing and extroverted people they know. So, to answer your question, I'm not lonely. I have a loving family and supportive friends.

Interestingly enough, my more extroverted friends tend to be only children or else have larger age gaps between them and their siblings. Maybe it's due to this that we have to take an extra step to become more extroverted? When one is an only child, they have to get comfortable talking to adults at a younger age, and studies have even shown that only children are more likely to take an interest in their parents' friends and their livelihoods, as well.

4. Do you like being an only child?

Do you like having x amount of siblings? Maybe not at times, but they're your family and you love them anyway. I didn't choose the only child life, my parents chose it for me. Just like your parents and your family situation. So do I like it? See the answer to the first question on this list.

5. Are you spoiled?

Probably the most common question on this list leads me to ask a follow-up question: Why would it be okay to ask this to anyone? With the frequency I hear some iteration of this question, you would think that the only exposure that people have had towards only children would be Draco Malfoy or Veronica Lodge. Being an only child doesn't guarantee that I've gotten everything I could have possibly wanted as a child, or that I was constantly lavished with presents...in fact, I'm still waiting on my puppy.