As someone who has had their fair share of friends, it does get lonely when you go back home to just you and your parents. Although I do have a great relationship with my parents whom I love dearly, it’s just not the same as sharing memories with someone around your age that is the same blood as you.
The memories that you all share will go far beyond your parents’ lives, assuming you have a healthy life and outlive them. Growing up with a strong family foundation and having siblings around creates possibly one of the strongest bonds you can have in life with someone that usually outlasts the bond with your parents.
When it is just you, there is a lot of idle time to yourself to just think. Whether the thoughts are good or bad, it is always just you and your mind at the end of the day. Just a bunch of overthinking and no siblings annoying you for their entertainment.
Over time, I began to think deeper and wondered what happens when my parents get old. I would be the only one that would be responsible for taking care of them and, when their time comes, I would be the only one left to cherish those memories of them. There would be no one else left to understand those memories of my parents like I did or relate with me like a sibling would when the time comes. Yes, I would have family and friends, but it’s not the same as having a sibling that was in the same household as you, living with them as you did.
As a kid, I used to be an extreme extrovert, as I talked to every single person in sight as my mom always said. But over time, I feel that having so much alone time turned me into an introvert, making it hard for me to socialize with others the way I’d like to. This is not the case for all only children. I just got too comfortable being alone, which is the reason I believe I lost some of my social skills.
Even though I did enjoy being by myself, that didn’t mean I wanted to be alone -- a common misconception of those who are introverted in general. The presence of someone else being around sometimes makes things better. I truly believe that having a sibling around the same age could potentially reduce the level of loneliness that someone who is an only child may feel and possibly bring out the social side of them as well.
As an overthinking only child still to this day, I always wonder how different my life would be and what type of person I would’ve become if I had a sibling by my side from the beginning. I’ve always enjoyed the life that I have and am very grateful for everything. It is just another big what-if, from an overthinking only child.
Zachary King
