6 Behavioral Signs You’re An Only Child

I’m an only child. Have been my whole life (usually works that way). Here are a few signs you might be, too.

1. No bathroom sharing, EVER!

Having lived your whole life as the singular child, bathroom-sharing every day was not something you probably experienced. Therefore, when college rolled around, the idea of a shared bathroom sent shivers up your spine. Sharing a toilet? The necessity of shower shoes? Accidentally picking up someone’s toothbrush or someone picking up yours? All fall under the category of sheer terror. Maybe you’re one of the brave ones and will get over it, or maybe you’re like me and are still traumatized. Well, maybe that’s the OCD.

2. Justified Kardashian watching.

Ya, I watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians, whatcha gonna do about it? I can justify it, though! I swear! One of my fellow only child friends were each keeping our Kardashian watching a secret from each other until the day the truth came out. We figured it out. That fateful day, we were walking around and Malibu and both thought we saw one of the Jenner sisters (it was not). “You love Kardashians? I love Kardashians!” Girly screams ensued. We justify it as follows: we are only children with VERY limited to no extended family, so it’s a learning experience as to what we are missing!

3. Sister-friends.

Yes, you and I may be biologically only children, but in our minds, we are not. We have made our best friends our brothers and sisters; we may even call our BFFs our siblings. No, they don’t share your DNA, home or parents, but you are two peas in a pod and just as keyed into each other’s lives as blood siblings may be. And hey, you may even be “blood sisters” – remember that elementary and middle school ritual?

4. Sibling fights terrify you.

When going over to a friend’s house as a child, it was fully expected that a screaming match would break out between them and a younger or older sibling, usually prompting a parent to get involved and most likely resulting in tears and a time-out. This terrified you. These fights were of epic proportion, like the Trojan War or the breakout of WWIII. You never understood why they would treat each other like this! Why weren’t they best friends like you imagine you and your imaginary sibling would be?

5. The sharing complex.

This is a tricky one and differs from child to child… or so I thought. My original thought for number 5 was “this only child not sharing is total BS”, but apparently THAT was BS. When I said this idea to my mom, she gave one big laugh. I thought I was a good sharer as a child! Apparently, I was sorely mistaken. So I rethought. And here is the amendment to my original idea: Just because you may not share as a child does not mean you will mature to be a non-sharing adult.

6. Alone time is a sanctuary.

Growing up without sibling left you to figure some things out for yourself. Mainly, what to do with play time when there is nobody else around. Well, you and your possible imaginary friends learned to entertain yourself. Not that you’ve grown, alone time and peace and quite is your idea of heaven. After a full day with friends, you seriously feel like you need a break and just some time to yourself. You cherish that time.

Featured image via ShutterStock

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