I am an only child. And it shows. But only in the best of ways.

To go along with what everyone believes - yes, I was spoiled as a child, and still am. However, contrary to belief, I did not get everything I wanted. No, I was NOT spoiled in that sense.

I truly believe spoiling someone is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

Now, let me just go ahead and clear this up. I was not spoiled in the way that you may be thinking. I was not spoiled with 'stuff.' I did not get everything I asked for, most of my friends had more toys than me, and most of them got all that 'stuff' they wanted.

I got spoiled in a way that I thankfully never even had to ask for. My parents spoiled me in the greatest way possible, because they spoiled me with love and time. They taught me that 'stuff' doesn't matter, and never will. A year from now, all that 'stuff' that you need so badly, you probably won't even remember what it was or why you needed it.

I was taught that love and time is one of the greatest things you could ever give someone. To be able to look back and see how much time my parents spent with me is the greatest spoiling I could have ever asked for.

I don't look back and remember the 'stuff' I got. I look back and remember my daddy building a birdhouse with me. My mom teaching me to cook brownies. My grandfather taking the time to try and teach me to golf. My grandma taking the time to let me walk around the baseball field with her. Time and love. That's what I look back and cherish.

This rolls over, even to the present. I would much rather give people my time and love, more than 'stuff' that they will probably end up throwing away. I also expect, and would much rather have, someones time and love. Because I was spoiled in this way, my boyfriend even has come to find out that on holidays, he doesn't need to buy me 'stuff.' Spending time with him is more than I could ever ask for. Same goes for friends and family.

'Stuff' is so easy to just buy. I think that's why people resort to that. If they want the easy way to impress someone - get them 'stuff'. But I believe that if you really want someone to feel valued, give them something that's a little tougher to give. Spoil them with your time and love.

Eventually all that other 'stuff' doesn't matter. Get rid of it. Do something that will forever impact someone - give them your time and love. Spoil them with those two things, and I promise they will be forever grateful.

In the end, time and love is all that matters. In my book, being spoiled and spoiling someone is more than OK, as long as it's not with 'stuff.'

Thanks for spoiling me, mom and dad.