Thursday, April 25, 2019

Good and bad things about being an only child

I am an only child and while I don't think about it much, there are times I love it and times I hate it!

Pros:

  1. My parents have been able to help out a lot financially to start out my adult life!
  2. Most parents love their kids equally in different ways, but I'm definitely my parents' favorites!
  3. While many parents try to get houses so everyone can have their own room, having your own room as an only child is pretty much guaranteed! This means having my own space and not having to worry about a sibling barging in when I'm half naked. I also don't have to share a bathroom with a sibling, so I don't have to wait to take a shower or brush my teeth.
  4. I don't think parents should do this, but parents may ask "Why can't you be more like your sister?" "Have you considered joining the band with your brother?" Not a problem as an only child!
  5. Along with that, siblings sometimes have conflicting schedules. Maybe Trevor has a football game at 10 and Anna had a ballerina recital at the same time. When I played sports, my family had no conflict! (Not just my parents but my aunt and a few cousins went to watch me play!)

Cons:

  1. When I see siblings fight, I don't really have a right to say anything because I don't understand sibling relationships. I have two cousins that seem to have slight arguments when they see each other and I want to encourage them to stop it, but I have no right to say anything because I am incapable of understanding sibling relationship.
  2. When my parents die, I'm going to be on my own. Also, since my youngest cousin is seven years older than me, I am probably going to die alone one day. Holidays will be hard to celebrate because I won't have relatives.
  3. No one understands your grief like a sibling would. If I had a sibling, they would understand becoming a grandorphan the same day I did and being one the same day I became one. My dad was devastated and several relatives, friends, and my professors (I had to email them in case I was absent) were sad for us, as anyone would be, but no one can understand becoming a grandorphan just like I did. Also, when my parents die, no one will understand like I will. My cousin already plans to act like a sibling to me when my parents die (contacting family, planning a funeral, etc), but one day my closest relatives are all going to be dead and I don't know what I'm going to do then!
  4. At lunch in school, I never had anything to say with my friends and I was just a shy person. I know many shy people have siblings and not all "only children" are shy, but I think being in only child really made me shy. I did not build a whole lot of friendships in high school, and so far I haven't in college (though I plan to live on campus to help change this).
This is what I have so far. Any other pros and cons from anyone?

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