Only child ??

Question

Anyone out there an only child ? I’m curious how you felt growing up. Did you always long for a sibling? Or did you have a lot of friends and never felt like you were missing out?
I have a 5 month old daughter. I have 5 siblings and always wanted 2-3 kids but it’s not an option anymore . I want to def get her in activities and sports when she’s older. I’m just worried she’ll feel lonely? Or maybe not because this is all she’ll know ...
I want to hear about your experiences!

Answer

🙋🏻‍♀️ yes only child. Had friends but nothing can take the place of having siblings. I wished I had them especially now that I’m older holidays are sad and wish I had someone I could relate to like that. Luckily I married someone with 8 siblings!

Answer

I loved being an only child and I wasn't ever lonely. I had friends but I didn't have a ton because I'm introverted.  I actually grew up living in different households during my life, many with lots of kids to play with. It made me miserable usually because I loved playing alone most of the time. Don't get me wrong, friends are great and I think everyone gets lonely at some point, but for an introvert it takes so much energy to interact with people constantly. Since introversion and extroversion don't have to do with how big your family is, I think as an introverted child I was lucky when I lived in my main home with no siblings. If I had to live in a household with lots of people long term I think I would have moved out as soon as I legally could. I knew people who couldn't stand their big families because people were just always around and they just wanted to be left alone sometimes. 
From what I can tell, extroverts seek out other people because they need that interaction, so an only child who is extroverted will probably try to make friends wherever possible and will be just fine. But for an introverted child in the opposite scenario, there is no escape from so many people so they just have to suffer and hopefully find some solitude.
On a final note, both my SO and I are only children and we both loved it. I have rarely met an only child who hated it.

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I'm an only Child and so Is my Husband. We both never wanted siblings when we were younger. I have a cousin who is like a sister to me And Friends that can be better then blood. :)

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I am an only child🙋‍♀️ wanted siblings when I was younger but I'm ok with it now. Have a big family, lots of cousins and I learned to make friends easily. Parents stuck me in lots of sports and activities. I had all the attention I wanted and they spoiled me, bought my first car(94' Honda) , paid for drivers ed so I was grateful for that. And my mom is my bestfriend, and I'm not a spoiled brat so I think I ended up ok😁🤷‍♀️

Answer

I wasn't an only child but I was raised like one. My brother is 7yrs older than me and he spent some time in juvenile and when he got out he lived with our father. My mother and grandma never let me hang out with friends or the neighborhood kids. I was pretty lonely growing up. Set up play dates and socialize them. Don't be afraid to ask them what they want too. Cousins were my first friends.

Answer

This is going to sound bad...I have to say it. In my group of friends we have one girl who we joke has only child syndrome. She’s 33 and you would think she was 13 with how much she needs to be the center of attention and things need to run on her schedule or not at all. We’ve gotten very close over the years but I will definitely admit that she is incredibly spoiled even now. With that said, not all only children will turn out this way and as long as you keep her active, I would start by looking into story hours and play groups now, I don’t see that it would be something she’d grow up disliking (being an only child). For her future friend’s sanity, please keep your little one reality-checked 😜 I’m kind of just kidding. My son may be an only child in the end but we are considering fostering (I have endo and we had trouble getting pregnant the first time). I already take him to story hour twice a week when I’m off work and he will be going to 3 year old preschool in a year and a half. He’s 17 months now.

Answer

I was an only child up until 16, when my then 2 year old sister was adopted. My story is kinda different, at 14 my dad passed away (my parents had been married at over 25 years) and so my mom took foster care classes and then adopted my little sister after we’d had her in foster care. 
But when i was growing up I HATED being an only child, I would’ve seriously died for a sibling. I was literally 1 of 2 people in my grade until high school that didn’t have a sibling and it sucked. Lol. My husband grew up with a brother close to him and loved it! We have an 18 month old daughter and I’m due in 3 months with her little sister and we plan to have another after!

Answer

I’m an only child and never felt like I missed out on anything. I was well socialized and had lots of friends. Coincidentally my husband is an only as well and he feels the same way. We’re planning to just have one.

Answer

Honestly as a kid I would always be jealous of my friends who had siblings and I loved having sleepovers any chance I could get bc it was cool to have someone there with me. When my family and I went on vacation I would be lonely and didn’t do certain rides or things depending on where we went bc I didn’t want to do them alone, bringing a friend or a cousin would’ve helped but I didn’t. I remember always begging my mom for a sibling even to the point of adoption. I also would play a lot of board games by myself bc no one else would want to play with me sometimes. I’m 21 now and pretty much okay with being an only child. Sometimes I still wish I had a sibling so I could get advice and not feel like I’m so alone emotionally and mentally and I know that when my parents pass it would be easier to deal with having a sibling by my side but that’s just my personal thoughts and experiences.

Answer

Only child 👱🏼‍♀️ I wanted siblings but my mom told me my dad didn’t want anymore kids. I had three half sisters by marriage and one step brother. They were all 12-20 years older than me. I always wanted my brother to be close to me but he wasn’t interested, I think that was a big driving force. I played alone a lot because it was compounded by the fact that my parents were older when they had me. However - I wasn’t hard done by. I got to sign up for any sports and stuff I wanted, my parents had money, I had all my moms attention when I was younger. I do wish I had siblings occasionally as an adult. Luckily I now have several close friends I consider family. 
Sibling relationships are complex and you are not required to give your child a sibling. I have friends who have broken or uncomfortable relationships with their siblings, just like I have friends who are very close with them.

Only child ??

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