Why didn’t your parents have more kids?

They couldn’t, I think a lot of factors contributed to this, including age and some other factors, mostly on my mother’s side.

Were your parents content with one child or did they want more?

I never got my father’s perspective on this, but my mother has made it known that she would’ve liked to have more, but has grown to a level of contentment with the fact that she has just one child.

Did your parents feel pressured to have more kids?

Where I’m from, I feel like there’s this indirect pressure from society in general, though I think it’s dying out now, to have more than one child, because it’s more common for families to have more than one child as opposed to just one child.

What was growing up as an only child like? What was your childhood like?

My childhood was an average one, in the earlier years of my childhood, it was just my mother and I, my father wasn’t always there, but I wouldn’t call him an absent parent, he was just away often, so I’m closer to my mother. My mother was/is very protective, I’d say I had the a similar childhood to those around me, but there were a lot of things that I wasn’t really allowed to have access to that people my age were allowed growing up. Eventually, my mother and I moved to be closer to my father, and, living with him, the restrictions only got worse, I ended up spending most of my days inside, and grew to be a not very social person, and I feel like that’s affected me a lot in many aspects of my life.

Did/do you have imaginary friends?

No, and, even if I did, my religious mother would’ve put a stop to it early.

Did you at some point, wish you had siblings?

I did, and I still do.

Did your parents have “the talk” with you about why you’re an only child?

I’ve had this talk with my mother many times for different reasons, it’s not a very fun thing to talk about, at least in my case.

Did you ever lie about having siblings?

Yes, I thought it’d help me fit in better at school where most people had siblings, and I was tired of people judging me based on stereotypes like when people say “all only children are overprotected,” or something like that.

Seeing most people with siblings, how do you cope?

I wouldn’t call it “coping” because it makes it seem as if I’m overcoming something difficult by living with the fact that most people have siblings and I don’t, it is what it is, most people have siblings, I just happen to have none.

Do you feel lonely sometimes? Would it be better if you had a sibling?

I feel like it would’ve been better, because there are some issues I’ve dealt with that I feel like only someone in the position of a sibling would be able to really understand and I could really talk to about it, but, since there’s nothing I can do about it, and there’s no actual guarantee that I’d have even been that close with my sibling, I try not to let it bother me.

Are you an introvert, ambivert or extrovert?

Introvert.

Are your parents overprotective?

A little.

Did being an only child affect your social skills?

I have poor social skills, but can’t say for sure if it’s because I’m an only child, because there are many factors that could’ve led to it.

Is it easy for you to make friends?

No.

Do you consider your friends your siblings?

It depends on how close I am to them, and, at the moment, I have no friends I consider my siblings.

Do you want kids?If so, would you like to have an only child?

I want to have like three kids, I just want to have a full-ish house after living in quiet houses for most of my life.

Does being an only child sometimes affect your decisions?

I don’t think so, it’s not something that’s constantly on my mind, so I wouldn’t say it affects my decisions, unless those decisions were specifically related to me being an only child.

Growing up, how was your relationship with your parents?

My relationship with my mother was good, it was just me and her for a big part of it, like I said, so she played a major role in my growing up, when we moved to be closer to my father, I found him to be very controlling, and that made me very distant from him.

How is your relationship with your parents now?

The same as it was growing up, pretty solid, though a bit of a strained relationship with my mother, and not much of a relationship with my father.

What did your parents do right and wrong, in raising an only child?

My mother didn’t allow me to have access to a lot of things, like I said, while that kept me from the bad things, as she intended, it also stopped me from becoming more independent earlier, which I feel has affected me a lot negatively.

What are your thoughts on “Only Child Syndrome”?

I think that the traits one develops growing up rely on factors other than whether they had siblings or not.

Growing up, did you get along well with older people?

I think so.

Do you do well with kids?

Not really, I’ve come to realize this recently.

Are you spoiled? If so, in what ways?

I don’t think so.

When was it the most hard being an only child, childhood, adolescence or adulthood?

Adolescence, I’m one year away from being an adult, so I can’t say anything for adulthood. Like I said, there are some issues I’ve had to deal with that I feel like only someone in the shoes of a sibling would really understand, and I feel like it’d be easier to open up to them because of it.

How do people react when you tell them that you’re an only child?

I haven’t actually told anyone this in a while, but when I did tell people, it didn’t take long for the; “Are your parents overprotective?” “Are you spoiled?” questions to start popping up.

How do you feel about your birthday? Growing up, how did you celebrate birthdays? How do you celebrate birthdays now?

Most years I get a cake to share with extended family members when I get the chance, the only times I had actual “celebrations” were when I was much younger.

Do you talk to yourself?

Sometimes.

Which of these things is the most important to you? Privacy, companionship, alone time, attention.

I feel like companionship is the most important to me now.

Who did you blame when you did something wrong as a kid?

No one.

What do you miss most about being a kid?

Not being so self conscious.

What do you think is your best personality trait?

My reservedness.

What do you think is your worst personality trait?

My reservedness.

Do you enjoy being the center of attention?

Only when it’s for a good reason.

Have you always been a “good child”?

I think so, although my father may disagree with you.

What life skills do you have, thanks to being an only child?

I don’t think I’ve developed any life skills thanks to being an only child specifically.

Do you think being an only child affects mental health? If so, how?

I don’t think it can directly affect one’s mental health, but I think it can play a role in certain situations that do.

What aspects of sibling-ship makes you glad that you’re an only child?

Less petty issues, maybe?

Do you think that there are few only children, compared to people with siblings?

Yes, especially where I’m from, where it’s more common for families to have more than one child as opposed to having just one.

Do you feel the pressure to be perfect?

Sometimes.

Do you think you worry more or less about your parents because you are an only child?

More, especially my mother, I don’t know if that has anything to do with me being an only child, though.

What are the most annoying things that people have said to you about being an only child?

“You’re probably overprotected.”,

“You’re probably spoiled.”,

“You’re probably selfish.”,

“I feel bad for you.”,

“You’re so lucky.”,

etc.

What are things to NOT say to an only child?

“I feel bad for you.”

What are the biggest misconceptions about only children?

That we’re all spoiled, selfish, lonely, overprotected, and other things associated with “Only Child Syndrome”.

What are the most “only child things” about you?

I like to do a lot of things on my own more than I like to do them with others.

What stereotypes about only children do you not relate to?

I can’t relate to the stereotypes about being spoiled, bossy or self-absorbed, they just don’t apply to me.

What fears do you have, that stem from being an only child?

The fear of being alone.

What are disadvantages of being an only child?

It MIGHT affect one’s ability to socialize with other people around their age early on, and their ability to work with others.

What are advantages of being an only child?

It MIGHT improve efficiency while working alone, and it MIGHT give one a chance to have a stronger connection with their parents.

What advice do you have for only children?

The stereotypes don’t define you, at the end of the day, who you are extends far beyond the fact that you’re an only child.

Growing up, did you have pets? Do you still have pets?

I had two dogs, not at once, though.

What’s your general outlook on being an only child? If positive, when did you start to like being an only child?

I feel indifferent towards being an only child, except in certain situations.

If you had a choice, would you choose to be an only child?

No.