What It’s Like To Be An Only Child
Sure, you get your parents’ undivided attention — but that’s not always a good thing.
5. And without any siblings to compete with, it’s easy to be the center of attention.
6. Think of it this way: without a sibling, you’re getting twice as much of everything.
7. You don’t have to waste time with silly sibling arguments.
10. Which is good, because you never really learned to share.
12. You never developed certain social skills that your friends with siblings did.
15. Because being an only child gets really, really lonely.
16. Without an older sibling to guide you, you’re lost in this world.
17. You have friends, sure, but it’s a different bond.
18. Meanwhile your parents expect WAY too much from you.
20. The older you get, the more you realize you could have used a brother or sister.
21. As adults, your friends bond with their siblings. But you don’t have any.
23. And you realize you’re possessive of friends. You crave attention but you need endless amounts of personal space. Basically, you’re nuts.
26. Also, your need for everyone’s undivided attention isn’t cute anymore. Sorry.
27. Look, you’ve learned to be self-sufficient. In many ways, being an only child has given you strength.
28. But you’re always going to wish, at least a little bit, that you’d had a brother or sister at your side.
HOT ON
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Jinx16 2 weeks agoSo we’re suppose to want constant attention? And be brats. There must be something wrong with me then. I like having some alone time, not a fan of people. Being an only child actually made me more independent, to learn to do things on my own. I disagree with the post, most of us aren’t Angelica -_-
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heatherl27 2 weeks agoI was never allowed to be a brat, my parents knew what discipline was. My every whim was not catered to, and I learned how to share from daycare at an early age. This “article” was badly done.
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jenniferk36 2 months agoWhat a strange perspective on the subject. Probably written by a bitter middle child.
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A.Leigh 2 months ago
Not so much. I wanted siblings when I was little, but sometime around age 10 I realized it would dramatically change my life and I like it the way it is. I’m perfectly happy being an only child now. As far as being spoiled goes, I am in some ways but not in others. I’m used to getting more attention, but also perfectly capable of entertaining myself for hours on end. I’m used to getting most of the things I want, but I also was the only kid I knew who had to do chores. Most of my peers didn’t even know how to do laundry until they started college, and I’d been doing my own for about a decade by then. The only major difference I’ve seen between myself and people I know that I can chalk up to me being an only child is that I’m more possessive of my stuff. A lot of my friends from larger families, anything in their house is fair game for everyone. I can’t stand that. My stuff is MINE, dang it. Ask first.
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Hylian_Nerd a month ago
I think this pretty much sums it up. Although for me, there’s also a greater need for personal space (although that could just be my introverted-ness).
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heatherl27 2 weeks ago
Exactly! I started doing my own laundry as soon as I could reach the knobs on the machine. I spent most of my time reading or playing quietly by myself, which led to the ability to not fear being alone as an adult. I got stuff, sure, but I earned my stuff by doing what I was told, not being a brat, not getting in trouble, doing my chores, etc. If my friends want to borrow stuff, go ahead, just let me know first. I get so tired of the only child stereotype. “Oh, you’re an only child? You must be spoiled rotten and need lots of attention.” No, I’m not spoiled and from my experience the people who had to compete for attention with siblings require more than I do since I got enough as a child.
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ChrisRox 2 months agoBeing an only child is definitely tough. Finding out that your parents separated when you were really young and that dad had other children, which was super awesome when I was finally allowed to speak to them, but that wasn’t until I was 13 and they all lived in another state. Then basically being a loner when mom passed two years later…yah, being an only child is no easy feat.
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DumDumGirl 2 months ago
“And you realize you’re possessive of friends. You crave attention but you need endless amounts of personal space. Basically, you’re nuts.” Spot. On.
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kimberlyp3 2 months agoUgh this blew my mind you should hear all the issues I didn’t know I had from being an only child that were pointed out when I had college roommates.
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Minnie Anonamouse 2 months ago
My parents keep telling me that they’ll stay healthy and take care of one another. If only life worked that way. I’ve loved being an only child, but the older I get-and the older they get-this petrifies me.
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