Poll: Are you an only child?

[JagermanXcell]

I'm the oldest of.... of hispanics so get ready....

3 years after my birth my parents had my sister (she's a brat and still is but we got along over the years), and of course the way American hispanic families work goes something like: "OMG 2 KIDS WE'RE IN BIG TROUBLE, BETTER DIVORCE ASAP!!!" (Theres more to the divorce like relationship issues and blah blah blah, but you get the idea) So my Dad left my Mom, still willing to be a great father to both me and my sister. My Dad then got a girlfriend who gave birth to two step brothers, one 7yrs old the other 3, and my Mom and her boyfriend who gave birth to yet another sister now 5. Eventually both yes BOTH my Mom and Dad left their partners still sharing the children and both yes BOTH got brand new partners who both yes BOTH have kids from their ex-partners.

So I have about 7 siblings now, 3 of them I hardly ever see to get to know. My Dad tells me not to get into a relationship until I complete school and discover that one person i'll truly "love and be with forever" or i'll end up like him having to raise another family. 0_0

I guess you can say I'm officially the rouge sibling, off to college expected to achieve greatness and luxury that my parents could never obtain.
No pressure.

 

[Morsomk_v1legacy]

Youngest child out of three. Two sisters. It's also kinda odd considering that I'm the tallest in the family. Though being a boy, I think my upraising was a bit different compared to other boys as my father mostly worked out at seas for months, which meant that he sometimes only showed up for 2-4 days on land and then went back to the sea.

Also being one of 3 boys in my class didn't help. So I guess I'm less manly then any other guy can be in my town, though I don't actually mind it. It has given me a different outlook at life and for that I am grateful.

 

[Varrdy]

I'm an only child - I like to think it's because the world cannot handle more than one of me!

 

[ShiningAmber]

I am the middle child. My older brother by a year recently passed. I have a younger brother as well.

 

[Nexxis]

I'm an only child, but I've grown up with cousins who were treated like siblings. While I happily shared my toys with my closest cousins, I was wary of a few other cousins as they had a nasty habit of stealing or breaking my things. Many of them are considerably younger than me and are significantly more spoiled.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I am an only child. By asking, you are now obligated to give me all the attention!

 

[TecnoMonkey]

I have a younger brother, the age difference of 8 years is probably the reason we are either at each others throats or completely ignoring each other.

 

[FootloosePhoenix]

Youngest here, but I really wanted a little brother. I think I could have used more male figures while growing up, which might be part of the reason why I seek out and prefer male companions much more to female ones. I only had my immediate family (mother, father and sister) and my dad worked a lot and kind of used to be a complete asshole anyway, so that didn't work too well. 'Course I'm also socially inept, so I don't have many friends of either gender, but I still prefer to hang around guys. Maybe that's a little sexist...I have met some awesome women too...y'know what? Most people just suck; I doubt I'm missing much.

Wait, what was the question again? Oh, right. I have a sister three-and-a-half years older than me. I consider myself the more mature one though.

 

[trollnystan]

Youngest of four. There's 8 years between me and my oldest sister and 4 years between me and my brother - the youngest after me. I wasn't included much in anything growing up being so much younger but they've always tried to look out for me, especially my brother; he was the one who stood between me and my father much of the time after my sisters moved out.

When I was very young, when my mother was still alive, I was very spoiled I think. Can't remember much really. After she died things changed. I was mostly ignored and left to do my own thing. I think that, together with the fact that my homelife was such that I started showing symptoms of clinical depression at age 10-11, has made me thoroughly unable and/or unwilling to take of myself properly.

My siblings say they wish I would ask for help, but I hate asking. I don't want to put anyone out because I'm [insert self-hating description here]. My siblings all have lives of their own and manage to function relatively well. I'm the only true fuck-up.

Sorry for the downer!

 

[Chasing-The-Light]

I'm an only child. Some people tell me, "Oh that's great, you get all your parents attention and you gets lots of things kids with siblings might not." But you know, while that might partially be true, it's also a very lonely feeling, too. You don't really have anyone that you can relate to, or feel close to in regard to family, or anyone you can really talk to about your parents/family who really GETS it.

Maybe I'm the only one, here, but there used to be times when I actually really resented my parents for not giving me the opportunity to have a sibling.

Grass is always greener.

Nothing is more lonely than standing in a crowd and being invisible/ignored; often what it feels like to be the middle child. The people are there; but not for you.

Not to mention just because they're family doesn't mean they will like you. Read this thread, plenty of siblings don't get along. That's how it is in my family, my brother and my sister don't get along with me, and it hurts. It's genuinely a detraction rather than the positive it could have been, and that hurts more than just fending for myself would have.

The thing about family is, they get to see the real you, and ... nobody is perfect, and ... most people have a hard enough time forgiving themselves... so... when people see your faults, your issues, your weaknesses? Instead of being the comforting/supporting/loving/caring people you expect from the movies? They're the opposite.

I understand where you're coming from. A lot of people tell me the same thing, "They don't always like you" "There's a lot of rivalry" etc. Even so, it would have been nice to even have THAT. Because honestly being an only child is lonely, at the end of the day. You don't have anyone who knows you that well. You don't have someone who ever will, without some kind of bias. It's a very isolating experience to try to come to terms with. That you're just kind of alone in it all.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Only Child, but I got 4 parents (2 Biological, and two step-parents), so I got enough familial work as it is.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Youngest of three boys, the oldest being six years older than me and the other being 2. They were both pretty dickish towards me for a long time, but I get on with them fairly well now, especially the middle one. As we've gotten older him and I have gotten more laid back, but my oldest brother is a bit more of a worrier (although he's considerably more successful than us, so I guess it works).

 

[Evil Smurf]

I'm the eldest of three, I love my siblings :3

 

[Ishal]

I'm an only child, loved it growing up, loved it now. All of my friends were not only children, and they seemed to envy me. Fitting, since it seemed like hell to have siblings. I remember them getting in fights over pretty much anything. Horrible...

But honestly it has its ups and downs. I'd say that videogames saved me from a lot of boredom. I could play them by myself and be perfectly happy.