Growing up as an only child you constantly hear how jealous people are of you, how grateful you should be that you don't have to deal with siblings, and that you are so lucky for not having anyone to bicker with all day long. But for everyone that has a sibling out there, if you just take a moment to think about what your life would be without them, it's probably hard to imagine. Growing up as an only child isn't all it's cracked up to be and most only children would do anything just to have at least one sibling.
1. Growing up was boring.
Growing up an only child involved a lot of playdates by myself and relying on several friends for entertainment throughout the day. Between the ages of 1-4 (before school really happened) the only person I had to play with everyday was my mother. As a child, playing with your mother everyday isn't really the coolest thing out there to do, but you really had no other choice. I love my mother to death and I'm extremely thankful for all those spontaneous play dates she had with me even after going through a long day of work, but there's something you miss out on when you don't have any siblings to play with everyday.
2. The reality of not having an automatic best friend.
A lot of siblings end up becoming best friends later on in life when they get older, or end up being very protective of each other. Those late night calls with your sibling when you're mad at your parents or just mad at life are crucial. However, being an only child, you don't have anyone to do that with. Your parents tend to become your best friends, and sometimes it's hard for them to relate to you or you can't necessarily tell them everything. A lot of only children would give anything to just have that close bond with someone other than their parents or their best friends. Without having siblings, only children tend to drift towards their best friends and those best friends end up becoming "sibling figures." Best friends turn into "brothers/sisters," and we tend to relay on them a lot. Without having siblings, the reliability on our parents and friends turns into our life.
3. You'll never be an aunt/uncle.
Only children have the reality of never being a biological aunt or uncle. This changes if you get married later on, but the nieces and nephews you may get through marriage will not be related to you by blood. You'll never have nieces or nephews that are related to you by blood. Therefore, if an only child wants nieces or nephews, they have to get married.
Being an only child can be super lonely and very emotionally exhausting. Without having a close bond to someone that siblings naturally get, being an only child can be sad at times. Being an only child does have benefits such as having a close relationship with your parents and your friends, but it also involves missing out on a lot in life. Of course, not everyone fits this only child mold. However, most only children would give a lot just to have one sibling to relate and talk to.
