It all began on April 11th, 1998, 5:04 pm. I came into this world just like most other babies; crying, screaming and gasping for that first breath of air. However, unlike in most movies, or modern day families, there was not a jealous sibling dreading my arrival in the waiting room. There never would be a jealous sibling, or even an excited one at that. I was the one and only, the center of everyone’s world.
Eighteen years later, here I am... still the one and only child my mother has given birth to. Don't get me wrong- being an only child does have its perks; having my own room, always being the priority, never having to share my clothes and most importantly, always being that favorite child. I never had to compete with other siblings for the attention of friends and family, and I never had to experience being the forgotten child. I got an abundance of love from so many different people, and I never had to share it with anyone.
But being an only child is not always sunshine and rainbows. Let me get something straight: being an only child absolutely sucks, not even to mention being the only child of a single parent. I can't run to my dad when my mom says no to something. That would be one long run, anyway. My mom has to be both my mother and my father, and thank god for her there's only one of me, so I guess being an only child did work out in her favor. The attention is always on me, so if I mess up, there's no one else to blame it on.
There're no other siblings to do something even worse than I had, pushing my wrong doings aside. Who has to take out the trash? Me. Who has to shovel because she doesn't have an older brother or father to do it? Me. Who has to succeed in everything she does because there's no one else to do worse than I? Me. Do you know how boring it is at night in my room? The only person I have to talk to is my cat. And most of the time he has nothing to say. I can't go crying to my non-existent older sister about my boy troubles. I can't bring my younger sister along with me as an excuse to get out of the house and go play at the park.
It's just me. It's always been just me. If you have siblings, don't take them for granted. Hug them, talk to them, keep them close. Or you might end up like me, reaching out to your cats for life advice. When I think about it, being an only child is boring and painstakingly frustrating, but it has taught me to be independent, more self-reliant, and at the end of the day, life is precious, so whether I have ten siblings or none at all, I am still breathing so I have nothing to complain about.
