I'm 44 & an only child so I grew up in the 70s & 80s. What I call the golden era (my n=1). Anyway, I loved it and I don't have any regrets (although I didn't do anything to make myself an only child). Very, very infrequently I think about/wonder what it would be like to have a sibling (maybe about once a year) but those thoughts go away quickly.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I'm the youngest of 7 and often wanted to be an only child !

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

No but......

My closest friend has 3; 14, 10 and 8

The eldest hates, and i mean loathes in a completely irrational way her siblings

Has said since she could speak that she wishes she were an only child

Her siblings get on famously

She has been moody - cant offer a clinical explanation - since birth

So i am not sure that even if you have more than one there is any guarantee they will like each other

I'm the youngest of 7 and often wanted to be an only child !

I'm tied for 3rd in age (twin) in a family of 9 kids and never wanted to be an only child. That is even more so now that we're all grown up.

Pretty much sums up my childhood experience, though I'm a couple of years older. My mom got together with a guy with two kids (one older, one younger than me) for grades 8-12 and through my college years, and I was fine with that, too, other than the fact the guy was an abusive, bullying asshat. I got along fine with the kids with some typical dust-ups.

That was a sort of tongue and cheek.

But being the youngest and having 4 older brothers I was somewhat of a punching bag for a number of years so there was definitely times I wanted to be an only child. There were lots of good times also. I was a twin, (brother died at birth) I think I would have liked having a twin. Next oldest to me is 5 years senior so I always wanted someone my age to hang with.

There's 6 of us still around today but two of my siblings are dead to me. I basically have two brothers and a sister left. We don't do much together. Family drifted apart.

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

I'm an only child. 40 recently.

I was an "easy keeper" and pretty much just went wherever my parent did (divorced).

I'm really close to my parents.

The only real negative is that I didn't like/tolerate kids/people my own age very well (still don't).

I was also home schooled for 3 years (grade 5-7) so I guess it's a small miracle I'm able to tolerate people at all.

Then, I chose a career where I have to deal with people all day, every day. Not one of my better decisions.

50, only child, My dad died when I was 1. Mom was tough unlike parents today. Never wanted brothers or sisters. I don't have to go to those family gatherings that everybody hates. Never wanted kids either, maybe teaching Middle School solved that,. Wife has 3 sisters but only one lives in the same town.

Two brothers. I get along with both, so no, can't say I've ever wanted to be an only child.

I suspect that I would have had a lonely childhood without my one brother who I did everything with every summer.

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

We spent a week in Disney with my in-laws earlier this month. Theirs is an only child, a first grade boy. He is entirely unable to tolerate my younger son (4) any time there's the slightest disagreement or challenge to how he wants things to go. I don't know how much of that is innate personality and how much is being the center of his parent's universe. Probably a little of both.

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

I'm not an only, I have a sister that I get along with very well.

My friends' parents are largely in their 70s or older and are starting to pass away. My only child friends find themselves especially bereft as they have no siblings to support them. When both parents are gone they feel orphaned. I'm single, but I have a sister and nephews who I'm close with and will still have a strong family when my parents are gone.

My interactions with my brother over my parents care made me feel better about having an only child :-)

God bless you for spending a week in Disney.

Our son is 7 and an only child. For his age he's very accommodating to other kids especially younger ones or older ones. He seems to care very little about being with kids his own age. That may be because he was/is in daycare all his life since both my wife and I work full time.

My younger sister was more or less an only child as she was 20 years younger than me and lived many states away. She pretty much hasn't been able to tolerate anyone that could be considered her contemporary and at nearly 30 is just now starting to hang with people her own age instead of people my age or our parents age.

I'm one of 3. I had friends my own age through high school, but in college and even grad school I much preferred the company of people my parents' age. Now, people my own age (I'm 30) finally seem to have matured enough that I can occasionally tolerate them. I offer this as an example that the phenomenon you described isn't limited to only children.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Yes to this. I am the youngest of five from two families. My fathers first set of kids are jackasses that rarely came around in his later years. My parents are divorced, father and sister have passed leaving a mother who has been out of the picture for many years. From birth my father and I have been glued to the hip and grew even closer after my sister passed. Now that he is no longer around, I also feel like an orphan. It is a sad but good feeling because in some ways I am an only child with did not have to share my father with the others.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Only child here. I wish I had a brother or sister growing up. We moved a few times and I had to make new friends and it would have been nice to have someone else there.

Beyond that, my family is quite small. I've gone out with girls that had big families and I enjoyed those gatherings so much more than my own.

I'd say it has more to do with your in-laws being crappy parents. We have an only child, he's 12 and we have never had an issue with him being able to work with others but we don't treat him like our world revolves around him.

I grew up with 5 siblings. There are benefits to both. My son has two really close friends, far closer then I ever had because I was always with my older brother. Plus he gets the benefit of having a big family, a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles. I have never heard him complain.

I have one older brother. I get along with him, but we have nothing in common and I hate his wife so we don't see much of each other.

Growing up, he was a quiet genius child and I was a hyper active trouble maker. Around highschool, I found sports and music and learned how to focus and channel my anxious energy and really started to do well. My brother, on the other hand, found pot and barely made it past highschool and lost all his scholarships. Funny how we both completely changed course around the same time.

My younger cousin is an only child and it shows. Entitled, does what he wants without much regard for others, and doesn't know how to handle adversity at all.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

Got one younger brother. Known his wife since they started dating at age 15. I've had two wives and a few girlfriends between but not one single of them got along with her. She's definitely a wedge but I still get along good with my bro as long as we leave the women at home.

That makes 3 of us. My mom had an on again off again relationship my entire childhood. He had 2 kids a few years older than I. From time to time they stayed with us, but it never really worked for them until I went away to college. His kids were HS dropouts. Really rocky childhood, I spent a lot of time alone seeing things a kid shouldn't. I was fortunate to have very very loving grandparents that kept me straight. Fast forward, my wife and I are now raising an only child. He is almost 5, frequently talks about wanting a sibling, but he's a really good kid. We are adding a pooch to the family in a couple months and he is going to get to travel a lot while he grows up.

I'm an only child (33yo). I was bored a lot under 9 or 10 years old as mom worked full time–stayed home after school alone from the age of 9. Made me more self sufficient than most, but also probably more introverted. Always thought it would be fun to have a sibling and even my cousins are quite a bit younger.

I wasn't the spoiled only child stereotype because we didn't have any money. I think this phenomenon tracks more with how freely the parents spend their money vs. how many children there are.

My wife and I have a 1 yr old and will have another kid soon if we are able so that they can play together.