If you are an only child, like me, you should consider yourself a rare breed. Nowadays, being an only child is not very common. As an only child, we have a different way of life than people who have siblings. Being an only child is very special and allows you to have a life that is very unique.

As an only child, you gain qualities that can make you very successful in life. There are only a certain amount of people that get to be an only child. If you are an only child consider yourself lucky because you are something special. I want to quickly note, not all only children are like this, but this is just my experience as an only child. These are just some of the qualities gained from being an only child:

1. When you grow up, your main goal is to be independent:

As an only child, you will spend a lot of time being alone. The time spent being alone allows an only child to become independent and think for themselves. They spend their life making their own decisions such as what to do after school, what TV show to watch, what music to listen to, and so many other choices. They do not have a sibling to influence what they do or help them decide what decisions to make. An only child gets opportunities to do different things for themselves and try to make their own life.

As an only child, we do not need to count on anyone because we spent most of our lives counting on ourselves. We hold ourselves accountable for our decisions because there is no one else to blame if something goes wrong. We strive for independence because we know it is what leads to success. Our independence enables us to accomplish our goals and live a successful life.

2. We are okay with being alone and we actually crave it:

As an only child, you quickly get use to spending time alone. Sometimes, an only child craves silence and wanting to have alone time. An only child is comfortable with their thoughts and loves to spend time thinking. This is our way of processing our life and helps us decide what choices to make in our life. People with siblings will want to communicate their problems and look for opinions of others. However, an only child does not feel pushed to talk to others about their issues. They look to figure out their problems on their own, which goes back to being independent. Spending time alone and reflecting allows an only child to dissect the situation fully.

Alone time is so important to an only child and strengthens their independence. There are just some things in life we have to do alone because we know it is the best thing for us to do. Even in some cases, an only child feels happier while alone than with a crowd of people. However, this does not mean they are shy or anti-social. There are plenty times as well that an only child wants to be around other people and socialize with them. It is just sometimes an only child wants to be alone to spend time with themselves.

3. We get to learn who we are and learn to love ourselves:

As an only child, because we get to spend a lot of time with ourselves which allows us to understand who we are as a person. We know so much about our likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, goals, dreams, habits, beliefs, and so much more. An only child knows every single detail there is to know about themselves. An only child knows their flaws and gets to time accept who they are as a person. All of this time spent learning who you are allows an only child to learn to love who they are. Learning to love yourself can be one of the hardest things in life to do.

But, for an only child, this self-love comes more easily because they have more opportunities to be with themselves. An only child accepts their flaws and benefits from learning who they are as a person. An only child will know how to avoid things that expose their weaknesses and be able to use their strengths to their advantage. An only child knows what is best for them at all times because they are the only person who knows what will truly make themselves happy. An only child understands they do what is best for them because of the love they have developed for themselves.

These are just some qualities that make an only child a special breed. An only child is definitely a special person and is very rare in the world today. Being an only child is something special and makes you a very unique person in the world. Often times, an only child is misunderstood and is viewed “differently”. However, as an only child, we do not let other people’s words define who we are. Only children have a deep understanding of who they are and know they are the one who knows themselves the best. I have enjoyed every second of my life as an only child. I know being an only child has a huge influence on who I am as a person. I am thankful to be an only child because I have been able to understand who I am as a person. I have learned who I am and I have been able to love who that is.