30 Things Only an Only Child Will Understand

Okay, fine. Maybe we are spoiled. And impatient. Even self-centered, at times.

Being an only child may not always look like Veruca from “Willy Wonka” (remember the “I want it now!” girl?), but you have to admit, it does have its perks…and its cons. If you’re one of the rare ones, you’ll definitely be able to empathize with me here:

1. Obviously, you’re the favorite child. And your parents made sure you knew it.
2. Your mom calls, like, eight times a day.
3. Which is normal to you, because you’re so close to your parents.
4. Competing for attention is a foreign concept.
5. As is fighting over who gets shotgun.
6. Blaming things on your siblings? Not an option. It’s on you.
7. People assume you’re a brat.
8. Speaking of which, what’s with this whole “sharing” thing?
9. Someone has definitely said, “Oh, that explains a lot!” after telling them you’re an only.
10. You don’t mind spending time by yourself.
11. Actually, it can be kind of nice.
12. As a kid, you usually acted like the parent in your family. (You were very mature for your age.)
13. And you’re definitely the mom of your friend group now.
14. There was also a disconnect between you and kids your own age because you were so used to being around adults.
15. You always wondered what having siblings would be like.
16. So instead, you relied on your imaginary friend and/or family pet.
17. And your friends became family.
18. That person who takes over the whole group project…yeah, it’s you.
19. Hey, it’s not your fault you’re just so self-sufficient.
20. You always got to choose where to eat or what movie to watch.
21. You don’t understand how people share a room. Or worse…a bathroom.
22. Your parents’ house looks like a creepy shrine dedicated to your entire life.
23. The only question following news of a family vacation: “Can I bring a friend?”
24. Moving to college was a tough transition.
25. (Why is there so much noise all the time?)
26. You’re the only one in your #tbt baby pictures, with the occasional appearance from Mom and Dad.
27. You’ve tried to play a multi-person game alone.
28. And you relied only on your imagination to play by yourself as a kid, so you’ve always been crazy creative.
29. But you also missed the older sibling crash course on life, which meant you relied on older cousins or friends’ siblings to figure it out…and it probably got pretty confusing.
30. Basically, we’re a little nuts. But we’re cute brats, right?