You act like an only child.
But, what does that actually mean. How can one act like an only child? I have heard this statement countless times throughout my life. Like, yes, I am an only child -- I didn't have much of a choice in the matter; is that so bad? I have thoroughly enjoyed my life and have done so without a sibling. So, what is it really like to be an only child?
First, you are about 73% likely to be your parents' favorite kid. Let's be real, parents all have their favorite child, even if they deny it until they die. I never had to compete to be the center of attention; this is true to this day, though with this definitely comes a problem of always wanting to be heard by others. I definitely still like to be heard and it does get annoying when no one listens to you. I guess as an only child you forget that other people exist... Once I remember that I am not the center of everyone's universe, it becomes easier to understand why people ignore me. But there is a different relationship between you and your parents as an only child, because for a long period of your life, they are the only people you talk to. To this day, I will not shut up when I am in my house. This leads us to the next benefit of being sibling-less.
You become your own best friend. Everyone preaches that self-love is important, but that is not what this is. With siblings, you are literally born with someone to talk to or confide in. No matter the age difference, siblings are generally close. As an only child, it can get lonely and you have to use the powers of imagination to pass the time. I believe that I will always talk to myself. All I did as a kid was talk to myself and make all of my toys talk to me. That could be a psychological disorder, but it could also just be a symptom of being an only child. Being forced to be alone a lot of the time makes a child really understand themselves and become self-aware and independent. As a young adult, I find it very easy to be alone because I have been alone so much throughout my life already. (I swear I have friends, though!)
Another only child perk is that you don't have to share. YAS! That might be a reason why people assume I am an only child; but, in all honesty, it is accurate. I like having things and don't like having to share. Am I selfish? Yes. Do I care? No, I'm an only child (IDGAF!) My entire life has been about me, myself and I, and we don't like sharing. I have never had to share a room with someone for a long period of time, never shared clothing (or worse, wore matching outfits @twins), and I never had to share food with other kids. Being able to know that the only people eating my food were my parents and myself made it easy to sleep at night.
As fun as being an only child is, though, it definitely does have its downsides.
Who can you blame for things without siblings? Yeah, I did have dogs, but they were rarely a good target for blame. I could have easily gotten out of things if I had siblings, but unfortunately, I do not have them. Only children can't really get out of trouble as easily, because you are the only person who could've screwed something up and you have to learn to deal with that. Eventually, though, you learn to own up and take the credit for your mistakes.
Being an only child definitely has its pros and cons, but in the end, there is nothing you can do to change this (or adopt a child in your parents name.) Only children around the world will have to deal with having siblings that are pets. Gosh help you if someone in your house is allergic to animals, because you will be emotionally and psychologically damaged as an adult. And remember, people with siblings, you can always become an only child...
