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Why Being An Only Child Is The Worst

Reddit user BroccoliniCarrot asked: 'What’s the worst about being an only child?'

Little boy walking alone down the road
Photo by Victor Chaidez on Unsplash

Anyone who grew up with one or more siblings is bound to have stories of how their siblings occasionally (or frequently) got on their nerves.

Indeed, some people don't even have any sort of relationship with their siblings once they fly the nest.

Those who grew up only children, however, often have trouble accepting that people would cut their siblings out of their lives.

While being an only child can often mean getting your parent's complete love and attention, it also means that you will have to go through many of life's challenges alone, with no peer to turn to for support.

Not to mention, never having anyone to torment and boss around, as many children dream of doing to their younger siblings.

Redditor BroccoliniCarrot was curious to hear what only children thought was the biggest disadvantage of growing up with no siblings, leading them to ask:

"What’s the worst about being an only child?"

Lack Of Playmates

"When I was little, people would give me board games like Monopoly for gifts, and I wouldn't have anyone to play with."

"even Hungry Hungry Hippo sucked playing solo."

"I did master Solitaire though!"- Jesikabelcher

Last One Standing

"When my parents die that’s it."

"I’m just alone."- undertheraindrops

"Family is the most likely group of people to help you when things get tough."

"When your parents pass you have less support."

"Also, aging parents become solely your responsibility."- rubixd

"Taking care of an elderly parent with no one to help."- 3Gilligans

No One To Turn To

"When you are the only one to support your aging parents."- Fantastic_Leg_3534

Forced Independence

"I think because I am an only child I have become used to spending time on my own."

"As a result I am quite antisocial.'

"I don’t mind being around people and can be quite talkative however it exhausts me and I need far too much time on my own to recover."- OstneyPiz

"You become TOO comfortable with being alone all the time, to the point where being alone is the default and interacting with others feels like a chore."

"And that doesn't play out too well in the real world."- DeathSpiral321·

Going Through It Alone

"No one to have a sanity check with."

"My wife and closest friend have siblings and they talk about a close bond with their respective siblings where they could look at the other and effectively say 'mom/dad are crazy, right?'"

"Being an only, I thought some of the sh*t they pulled growing up was normal."

"Having a sibling would have helped counter the gas lighting from parents."- RennSport5280

Making Your Own Conversation Partners...

"As an adult, I sometimes find it difficult to quiet the self-talk because all too often growing up it was all I had."-GreenDolphin86

More For Me?

"I am absolutely not good at sharing."

"Plus and minus was that I got all of my parents' attention, so I had a lot of love and support but also a lot of expectations and not a lot of space to f*ck up."

"Nowhere to hide, no one to blame anything on, and no backup when they were being unreasonable."

"But I also didn't have to split time, affections, or personal belongings with some other gremlin sharing my DNA."=Justheretolurkyall

No One To Keep You In Line...

"No reality check."

"Nobody to confirm that, no, it's not you that's acting nuts."

"Later, nobody to bounce ideas and behaviors off of, nobody to tell you, 'hey, X thinks you're cute' or 'that's not how you ask a girl out, doofus, say this'."

"I should mention that for various reasons, if I had had siblings they would have been older."

"So when I imagine not being an only child, I tend to imagine being a younger brother."

"But I think the reality-check thing would still operate even as an oldest sibling; plus I might have learned to handle responsibility earlier."- ElderPoet

There Is, Indeed, Safety In Numbers

"I am the only son of a single mother."

"I hate this term, but it's called emotional incest."

"Basically my Mom was very young when she had me and there were no men in her / my life."

"As a result, she placed all of that emotional needs of a grown woman on to me."

"My Mom never really raised me as a son."

"At best, she raised me like a little brother she got stuck with after our parents died."

"At worst, she treated me like I was a toxic boyfriend."- ANerdCalledMike

No Scapegoats

"All eyes are on you- can’t get away with anything!"

"Most strict parents ever ( they were older too)."

"Unlike my husband's family growing up with 6 kids."

"Parents hardly knew where the teenagers were or who they were with."- Available_Honey_2951

"When asked by a parent what happened you cannot blame your sibling."- nanodecay

The Eye Of TheBeholder

"People assuming that I was spoiled."- Purlz1st

Having no siblings means never being bullied, teased or tormented, or having to vie for your parent's attention.

Something many people who grew up with older or younger siblings openly say they dream of.

When the going gets tough, however, and these same people realize they always had their brothers or sisters to turn to, they might bite their words and regret ever even thinking of being an only child.


The Worst Things A Parent Can Say To Their Child

Reddit user under20letters asked: 'What is the worst thing a parent can say to their child?'

There is not one, correct way to parent.

After all, different children have different needs, and as a result some parents might need to adopt different methods so that their children can learn a lesson.

That being said, if there isn't one right way, there is definitely one wrong way, particularly regarding what some parents might say to their children.

Even though it might not seem like it at the time, all children take in and hear everything their parents tell them.

Some things parents say to their children might have lasting consequences, haunting them for the rest of their lives.

Redditor under20letters was curious to hear people considered the absolute worst thing parents could say to their children, leading them to ask:

Most Likely The Other Way Round

"I literally heard a mother say this to her child in the ER the other day."

"The kid was just talking to his mother about the usual stupid kid sh*t and she shouted 'YOURE RUINING MY LIFE! YOU OPENING YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW IS RUINING MY LIFE'."

"He put his head down and said sorry."

"My mom had her bad days but she never said sh*t like that to me."- PearlJamDudeVoice

Makes You Wonder Why They Did In The First Place

"If I could do my life over I'd never have had children."- FrogGob

Hurtful At Any Age

"'I feel like I have to love you because you're my child, but I don't like you at all'."

"My mom said this to me when I was 10 years old."- ATrulyTerriblePerson

So, So Wrong

"Saying that something is wrong with your brain."- Fit-Caterpillar-9729

It's What They Don't Say...

"Nothing, blaming them, not saying I’m proud of your or I love you."- FM_Apollyon

"Absolutely nothing."

"If you don't communicate, ask about their day, if you genuinely do not care about who they are as a person, it's just as damaging as saying the most hurtful things."

"So, if you really want to hurt someone, don't acknowledge them as a human being."- EeerrEeer

"Giving them the silent treatment over some offense (real or imagined)."- kenaisourdough

So Much For It Being The Thought That Counts

"Mine said to me when I was six years old: thanks for the [in school handmade diy] Christmas gift."

"'But you know we never use xyz, so this is useless'."

"'Why would you make that?'“

"Because I didn’t have a choice, and the teacher told us to?!"

"Can’t remember what it was, but this stuck with me."

"Been anxious about gifting them anything ever since."- SnicketyLemon875

As If They Know What That Is

"'Why can't you be normal?'"- Tail_Nom

Words Of Encouragement Are Not So Difficult

“'You just ruin everything'."

"'I hope you never find happiness'."

"'Hope your in-laws make you suffer'."

"'Hope your husband cheats on you'.”- Kindly-Try-7223

Where To Even Begin

"Take your pick, I heard all of these at various points during my childhood:"

"'I put my life on hold for (insert child's age) years for you/so you could exist'."

"From mom when she wanted something from me and I didn't immediately drop everything and come running."

"You don't live in a democracy, you live in a dictatorship, so you don't get a vote'."

"From mom at a young enough age that school hadn't gone over democracies and dicatorships yet, i was probably just trying to share an idea for plans or something."

"'You'd better quit backtalking me/being disrespectful'."

"When in the right during a disagreement with either."

"'Alright, put em up then' and 'you wanna take this outside?'"

"From dad who thinks challenging his 12-13 year old son to a fistfight is the way to deal with anger."

"I'm sure there's more that i haven't unrepressed yet."- kbyyru

And That Falls On Them...

"My parents had this saying: 'children are like pancakes the first one always fails'.”

"I’m the oldest of 2."

"At first I thought they meant it as a joke but after hearing that almost weekly for the past 18 years, I think they actually mean it."- thoyo3

And They're Probably Exhausted Of Not Being Loved.

"I'm so tired of pretending to love you."

"Not mine, read it in a similar post a while back but it stuck with me."

"I can't imagine the trust issues a kid would have hearing that said to them."- nenev

Blaming Them For Everything

"My mum said so much filth to me as a kid, as well as literally making me live in it."

"For better or for worse, til about age 11, I remember hardly anything, my brain has just completely deleted it all."

"But I'll always remember when she told me that she'll die soon from me and the stress I bring her."

"When she said this to me, I was already living my dad full time and only saw her one day a week after school and went home to my dad again in the evening."

"I wasn't even a bad kid, I was so quiet and could entertain myself."

"Little me didn't deserve to hear that."- THEgingerONEhasRISEN

Make no mistake, sometimes children need discipline and need to be spoken to sternly.

But scolding only works if it comes from a place of love.

As long as there's love, children will thrive, and any child who doesn't get the love they deserve is a deprived child.


baby smiling and lying forward
Photo by Jason Sung on Unsplash

Chances are you've heard phrases like "our little miracle" or "bundle of joy" or something in a similar vein.

Those phrases are usually used to refer to babies.

When someone really wants a baby, and has the financial means, emotional support, and maturity to raise said baby, then they should definitely have one. Bringing a life into this world, or taking care of a life that has no one else to care for them, is wonderful.

However, wanting (and being able to support and take care of) a baby is the only good reason to have one.

Not because you think it's what you're supposed to do, or you want to make your parents happy by giving them a grandchild, or because you think it'll keep your marriage together, or any number of other reasons people will give you.

Chances are you've probably also heard the saying "Every child deserves parents, but not all parents deserve children."

That can be very true if you have a child for any other reason than truly wanting one.

Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share what they think are the absolute worst reasons to have a baby.

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Woman sitting alone at the edge of a dock
Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash

There are very few people who haven't found themselves frustrated with their parents at one point in their life.

Whether it be for something they said, did or didn't say or do, sometimes we've found ourselves needing to vent to a friend, or scream into a pillow to let out our frustrations.

For most people, this anger is short-lived, as deep down they still love their parents and will always find a way to forgive them.

Some people, however, have a harder time forgiving their parents for certain actions, and even take the drastic step of cutting them out of their lives entirely.

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People are required to have a license to drive, fish, and have certain jobs.

So it boggles my mind that people aren't required to have a license to have kids.

Some of the cruelest and most vicious things I've ever heard were words uttered by a parent to a child.

As an adult, I was haunted by a few thigs.

I can't imagine the scaring of an adolescent.

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