A spoiled brat, how most only children are looked at in society today and that is what the world has shaped people like me to be. An only child is defined as a person with no siblings, by birth or adoption. In many cases being an only child is not all that bad and not all follow the typical “only child norms” of being spoiled, getting whatever they want, and being a brat. In my world, being an only child has shaped me into the person I am today, and I am very grateful for that. All the lessons I have learned being an only child have taught me how to be responsible, independent, and how to be more extroverted. 

Growing up, tasks were not done for me. I had to learn how to do them myself. Being responsible has many different factors, but mainly gets defined as having an obligation to do something, and it is a part of a job or role. All these aspects of life go along with the same idea of being responsible which has changed my life drastically because I have been able to grow up faster. My parents gave me many opportunities to be responsible and show them that I am responsible from a young age, something as small as putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or putting toys away when being told. When I was little my dad was diagnosed with cancer, therefore I have to be able to help him and myself at the same time. Doing this and everything in between taught me that if I can learn how to do certain things young, and now as I get older college and living alone will be much easier and I will succeed more than my peers that do not complete the same tasks. I have had everything needed in life and more, but I do not see myself as spoiled. I owe a “Thank you” to my parents for this because I was shown that in life things will not be handed to you and you must work for what you want. I have the skills to be on time to class, get my work done on time, and enjoy myself as well because of the responsibility skills I have been able to learn over the years. 

I have grown extremely independent as an only child because I am the only one that can do chores, and take care of things if my parents ask. There is no splitting chores or rooms with someone else since I do not have siblings and this has shown me how to do different things on my own without being asked or relying on others to do something for me. It is shown that children with no siblings show a higher level of independence because they do not have someone they can be codependent on. Codependency is what causes individuals to not be able to do tasks alone because they are always depending on that other person. This was especially important hitting the awkward stages of middle and high school where I was just trying to fit in, but it made the transition a lot easier. Those simple tasks correlate with the real world and real-world jobs as well. Being an independent individual has also given me lots of opportunities and ways to grow and learn in the world and without learning these skills earlier on, it would have been harder to learn in the world because I would have never been able to help myself.

Not having siblings is often looked at as harder to make friends and build relationships because most only children are introverted. On the other hand, I think this has helped me branch out even more because it has forced me to hang out with my friends so I do not get bored at home, as this has caused me to become extremely social and extroverted. When thinking about being an only child and being shy or reserved, that is the stereotype, I think it is better to break that stigma and show that not everyone that does not have siblings is like that at all. These friendships come from school, work, or association with others. Being able to become friends with others and build that social status has helped me a tremendous amount and I am extremely grateful that I am this extroverted. In life, I have been able to become so social that I have been able to become class treasurer, a part of many clubs, and a shift lead at work because of the skills I have learned from being an only child. One may not think that you learn that much from being an only child, but I have learned that you will grow tremendously and it will teach you how to adapt to different situations. As an individual, it has also shown me that through connections I make to not argue with those around me as most of the time it is not even worth it. Self-control is taught more in only children because there is no sibling rivalry at home which usually translates to the outside world and becoming that person that has a problem with everyone else around them. I think not having siblings has shown me that you do not always have to follow the norms that only children are lonely, or have no friends, but can be super social and extroverted.

To say that being an only child helped me grow as a person would be an understatement because it has helped me learn much more about myself and how to treat others as well. Being an only child has taught me responsibility, independence, and how to build connections with others around me. My parents have been amazing role models in this sense and have taught me right from wrong which is another reason why I am the way I am today. I have been able to grow through being responsible and learning how to be my person through not following what others do and finding my path. I am also grateful for this because of how close I have grown to my friends and parents and will forever be grateful for all the life lessons learned.