The Only Child

Oooooh the stereotypes that's casted upon being the only offspring to a set of parents can be downright cruel at times. I have been the only child (as far as I know) all my life and needless to say, I am one of those who are dying to have siblings to argue, play and grow old with. The older I get, the more I resented the idea of me being the only one in the family that will be left to carry on the family genes.

Growing up I get the following from my friends, relatives and schoolmates...

1. You must be very pampered!
   Not true at all. I have to work hard for the love and gifts I want.
   
2. You don't have to share your room with anyone!
   I am unfortunately afraid of the dark and being the only one left in a closed door room is not a very pleasant experience.
   
3. You don't get hand me downs. All your stuff will be brand new.
   But don't forget that I have to earn for all those stuff and suffer guilt trips from my parents if anything were to happen to them. I personally prefer hand me downs.
   
4. So lucky you don't have siblings whom will bully you endless.
   Hey! At least I will have someone to talk/play with at the end of the day, right?
   
5. Your parents have no one to compare you with.
   Objection! I still have cousins and kids belonging to friends of my parents. I cannot run away from this. It's worse when you are being compared to someone who are NOT raised by your parents. Fortunately for me, my parents don't care if I do well in school or not.
   

This paragraph from a book pretty much explains how I feel being the only child:

"There is an unfair responsibility that comes with being an only child - you grow up knowing you aren't allowed to disappoint, you're not even allowed to die. There isn't a replacement toddling around; you're it. It makes you desperate to be flawless, and it also makes you drunk with power." - Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn.

 I would like to hear from other only-childs around the world who defied all typecasts. We should start a club or something. It'll be so much fun!