• Only Child In A World Of Siblings

    This list of traits include:

    Onlies are lonely.  This was never true in my daughter’s case.  From the time she was 3 months, she was in daycare.  She had “friends” (in some sense of the word) all of her life.  Her best friend when she was 18 months old was “Ale-do-do”, whose actual name was Alexander.  She and Alexander were best friends.  When they saw each other in the morning, they hugged.  Teachers said that they played all day, only stopping for nap time.  When she wasn’t in daycare, she was with me, and yes, I played with her.  When she was 2, my oldest niece was born, and they are still very close to this day.  Lonely she was not. 

    Onlies are selfish.  My kid has always been one of the most generous kids I have ever seen, and I’m not just bragging here.  She rarely held back toys from others or screamed “Mine” when someone else tried to take a toy from her.   She happily shared toys, food and drink (sometimes to the dismay of me and her teachers) with her Ale-do-do.  They also happily shared ear infections and strep throat on a regular basis.  Generous, huh?

    Onlies are spoiled.  My daughter can have material things, when and if they are affordable.  One year, for Christmas, the only thing she asked for were concert tickets.  One of her go-to phrases is “Mom, I don’t really need anything”.  She understands when I say I can’t buy her this or that. She loves going to thrift stores, because she finds hidden gems.  Although, because she has 2 families, she does get 2 birthdays, 2 Christmases.  

    Onlies don’t adjust well.  Well if the studies mean “less socialized” by not adjusting well, then this too is false.  Exceedingly false.  My daughter is much more social than I ever was at her age, and I have 2 brothers (I’m the middle kid).  She is hardly, if ever, at home.  She is at the movies, or at a friend’s house 75-80% of the time outside of school.  She is also more street smart, which I’m hoping she got from me.  She is also more likely to put up with crap from her friends or from strangers.  In that, I taught her well.

    Onlies get a bad rap.  And the majority of it is blatantly untrue, whether the year be 1907 or 2015.  

    Written by: Allyson Johns



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