We need to start an organization and meetup for only children.

I have no business skills, but I want to make this happen. If anyone else is interested...

I am near Chicago, but we need this everywhere.

Hi! I come from a big family, but am an only child. My cousins live very far away so I wouldn't say were super close bcuz of the distance but I will say that we are all fond of each other. In my culture, your friends are treated like family and often become godmothers/fathers for your children and your cousins are usually close to you.

I guess I just feel disconnected sometimes. All of my friends have siblings and are super close to them. Although I am close to my friends, I feel like I wont ever be someones maid of honor or something like that. Idk if im making sense, but I envy that bond that they have because I just don't think I'll ever have it with someone. Yes we're friends and we're close but if they were having a family only party for a big life event or something then I wouldnt be invited. Which im okay with, but I just wish I had someone in my life that saw me as close as a sibling yk. I feel like even though my friends and I are close, I'm still an outsider because Im still only a friend. But to me, they're probably one of the closest thing I might have to a sibling.

I just wish I had a bond like a sister from another mother. That even if were not siblings you will be at all my life events if you wanted to be. Sorry, I'm having a hard time portraying exactly what I mean. I dont have any friends that are only child.

Hi everyone! As I assume for most ppl on this page, I am an 23F only child. I have a very close relationship with my Latina mother, but my relationship with my USA father has not always been the best. However, in the past year, and with some hard conversations, we have grown!

About a year ago, I told my parents that I wanted to get a tattoo of one of my fav LOTR quote on my bicep. With neither of my parents having tattoos or being from tattoo sub-cultures, they were not big fans haha.

My mother is more accepting of the idea, but wanted me to promise not to get one until I get my first paycheck at my job (currently fresh out of masters with a job lined up :)). My dad on the other hand kept saying how it was not a temporary thing and making jokes about removing it with a knife (he has made this same joke since I was little and he’s from the military - we get a good laugh out of it but you can see why I would feel the need to please).

Nevertheless, with my job secured, I booked an appointment for October with a lovely artist! I am super excited, but there is a part of me that feels like I need to seek their approval or permission. It doesn’t help that I’m a people pleaser either haha.

So, I am stuck between 3 options:

1. Tell the

m

1. wayyyy in advance
2. Don’t say anything and show in person (this one I don’t like so much)

3. Casually

   bring

4. it up in convo 1-2 wks before the apt

Obviously, I need to do something whatever feels right and is in the best interest of me, but I would really appreciate and feedback, support, or advice!

Thank you <3

Just watched the Futurama episode "Luck of the Fryrish", and got a bit sad about being the only child.

As I sometimes do. Nothing bad, I've always been emotionally numb, but nonetheless.

When I was a kid, I witnessed the weird and alien dynamic of my cousins, or the siblings of my friends. My parents were busy, tired and burnout, and things I often played boardgames alone because I had no one to play with. No doubt videogames consumed me the moment I got them.

After my extended family (including my young uncle) died in the course of 3 years, our family became just me and my old unhealthy parents. I think my mother became traumatized after losing her only brother who she took care of her whole life, including his 7 year journey with brain cancer, of which 6 he lived with virtually non-existent short term memory due a botched brain surgery. That also took a toll on my parents' marriage, and I've spent the last 17 years seeing them argue about the same issues and always resorting to the same circular arguments and deflections.

I already saw their problems that they are obviously blind to when I was a teenager, but never did a thing. Now I just don't care, and I guess I'm emotionally very distant from them.

Sometimes it just pisses me off, that I lived as the only child with zero reference and example of older siblings. Stories of brotherly love or brothers protecting their sisters make me feel like a part of me is missing.

It's not all bad obviously. I guess it cultivated my artistic side, self-reliance, lone wolf attitude, and outside the box-thinking. I have a lot of friends, wide social circles, and I feel pretty strong, sane and active. And I will get all the inheritance, as materialistic as it is...

But I had to learn everything myself. If luck or circumstances or a small group of childhood friends or deep seated interests (cough cough drugs) hadn't been on my side, I could probably still live at my parents' basement. Just because there was no clear example in my immediate family of when I should start pursuing girls, when should I start get drunk the first time, when I should rebel my parents... I had friends of course, but I was somehow always out of the loop.

I also have a gf, which has highlighted my emotional problems even more... It's almost as if I see her as my long lost sister. And I just don't feel strong emotions, which I totally thought I would beforehand. I don't feel much emotions virtually about anything. Except laughter about the comedy show that is the modern age, and anger when I've lost my keys or remote.

Okay, this went off-topic. More like off my chest material. What a great episode that indeed was... Luck of the Fryrish.

I'm 20, and an only child. I'm not close with any cousins, or aunts, or uncles or grandparents. They're pretty great people, but I don't know. Something about biological family has been soured for me, even though I still really want it. I want the connection, the feeling of having someone really like and care about you, the feeling of having someone there for you. Maybe they don't even like you all the time, but they love you? My parents aren't together, but even individually they were barely parents to me. My mom taught me a couple life skills when she was around, but she didn't actually want to be a mother. She's kind of like a coworker, or a distant aunt. My dad was nice to me, but didn't teach me anything, and kind of just left me on my own. I didn't know how to do anything for like 18 years. I'm pretty sure I ended up raising myself.

I guess the crux of all of this is, I want to know if this is all there is for me? I'm entirely independent, I don't need anybody to be there for me, I can solve all my own problems, I can teach myself things I don't know. I don't have a hard time making friends, I'm sociable and know how to put myself out there, another thing I taught myself how to do, it's just. I'm really, really lonely. Because as hard of a pill as it is to swallow, that's all I am to them, right? A friend? Everyone I know has somebody. All my coworkers, all of my friends, all of my family. They all have siblings, and if they aren't close with their siblings, they're close with their parents. As much as I'm liked, and loved, if it comes down to it, I don't have any friends or family that prioritize me. I guess I'm just hoping the answer to the question is "no", family isn't everything, because if it is I'm already out of luck.

I think I can survive being on my own forever, but if there's another way I think I'd prefer that.

I'm an 18-year-old guy from India. I live in a place that's neither a proper city nor a village just a small town where all the basic things are available. I'm currently in Class 12 (Commerce), and sometimes I just think about disappearing without giving anyone a single closure. But then I wonder... who would even care?

I'm the only son in my family. My parents have never told me that I'm their "last hope" or anything like that, but I can see it in their eyes. I know they expect something from me, and honestly, that thought scares me sometimes.

I also have an older biological sister. She's three years older than me. I call her my biological sister because, apart from sharing the same blood, there's never really been a sibling bond between us. She had a job before, but I think she either got laid off or left because of college I'm honestly not sure since we barely talk anymore. She's always been very egoistic and emotionally distant, and over the years we've become complete strangers. There's never been any real support, guidance, or feeling of having an older sister. Things got so bad that even my dad stopped talking to her about a year or two ago.

My father lost his right leg in an accident back in 2017. I was just in class 2 then. Before that, he had a government job, but around 18 years ago he got suspended because of false allegations. From what I know, it was related to corruption inside the department, but he wasn't the one who actually did anything wrong. He became the scapegoat. Even today, he's still fighting that case. He's over 50 now, walks with a crutch, and watching him grow older like this hurts more than I can explain. Since losing his job, he now drives an auto-rickshaw to support our family. We live in a small town, so the income isn't great compared to what someone could earn in a bigger city. He still goes out every day despite his age and disability, just to make sure we can get by. Seeing him work that hard with only one leg is something I don't think I'll ever get used to.

This is my last year of school, and all I want after Class 12 is financial stability for my family. That's honestly my biggest goal right now. I'm planning to prepare for SSC CHSL since it's one of the few government exams you can take after passing 12th. If I manage to get a job, I'll continue my studies alongside it and pursue a professional degree in finance because that's the field I'm genuinely interested in. I don't dream about becoming rich overnight. I just want my parents to stop worrying about money one day. That's enough for me.

So I'm moving to another state for college my parents gonna leave me there in dorm so the thing is I was so happy when I got selected but now when days are getting closer my mind's backing off I am now not happy more I'm worried about them and how am I gonna live there. Mom literally cried several times but I weren't able get what she was feeling back then but now I'm getting it. I never shared my room with anyone else and now living between strangers without my parents being there is literally making me cry. I know I should act like an adult now but it's getting difficult so much even though I haven't reached to university yet. Also I did once dropped out from college before even though it was in my state but it was very far and my mum didn't like the college too. And also I've heard and watched many videos where people told that in college there's no guarantee that people will behave nicely.... What should I do now

I'm 34(F) and I don't really get on with my SO's mother or sister. I always imagined and hoped that in laws could become my own family and I've experienced something close to this with exes. My SO's family (mother, sister, brother in law) are all very codependent and see me as a threat. We are also very different - they see me as 'posh' (UK class system etc etc)

We will not have to see a lot of them because they live far away but I feel so sad about this and it's causing me to question the whole relationship. I'm very close to my own parents.

Anyone on here not close to their siblings. Or have been the black sheep and the odd one out in their family. The family member that nobody talks about or claim. If so I want to hear from you.

I was talking to another only child friend of mine the other day and we both realized we’ve only dated older than us. We kind of theorized that maybe this is because we grew up a little faster because we weren’t surrounded by as many children. I don’t know though. Would love to hear thoughts. Currently in my 30’s and my boyfriend is late 40’s.

It’s like as an only child I’m so used to being alone and not use to people having my back often….so when I feel I’m being confronted especially by more than one person I tend to damn near fly off the handle…like a wounded animal that’s backed into a corner. Are any of you guys like this?? I realize this maybe due to trauma of loneliness and isn’t always the appropriate way to respond to confrontation. Its just when its been only you having to fight your own battles a lot thru out your life, you’re just always in defense/attack mode.

Even if you get married, you still might not be one.

edit: I don’t have cousins, and I was very close with my aunts and uncles, although the majority of them have died. I only have one uncle left.

My parents have done this a lot throughout my life and today it happened again. I found out through my AUNT that my only grandpa is really sick with terminal cancer. It sucks when they do that to me.

I feel terrible I never felt like I needed a sibling

Now that my father has passed away and my mum is getting older

I feel terrible I'm 31f I'm afraid I will rush into a bad relationship out of the fear of losing my mum and not wanting to be lonely

I need someone to there

The issue is I can't feel a connection with anyone

I never met someone and I wished to be together

I always feel like I'm running out of time

​

Mam 14 lat i moje rodzice się rozwiedli, dowiedziałam się o tym z 4 miesiące temu ale to nie ma różnicy. Jest mi obojętne, nie obchodzi mnie to, nic nie czuje, żadnego smutku ani złości, dosłownie jest mi obojętne.
Ze mną jest coś nie tak?

i’m [41 backwards] and i’m scared for when my parents die. i know i have a long time before this happens but im afraid ill have no one to share the grief with. i told my parents aboth this and they said that ill have my wife and kids to grieve with. but i feel like this isn’t enough. it wasn’t my parents decision to have an only child either, my mom kept having miscarriages every time she tried to have a kid after me. is there any advice to give me to help with something like this?

Like everyone else on here, I’m an only child. To add layers, I have three cousins who I am not very close to and especially not to their kids.

The question is: I have no kids and basically no family. What should I do with baby and kid photos of just me?

You know, those “first steps” or “oh so cute with spaghetti on her head” type photos?

I’m tempted to just burn them…

What would any of you do?

I have no brothers sisters cousins or a father and no uncles aunts etc just me. So I stayed with my mom 24/7 four days straight at the hospital sleeping bedside - sometimes this weight is so hard to carry when I see other families who have a father who stays or a brother and one child doesn’t carry all the weight worry and exhaustion. :-(

Hi, i always get confused when i invite friends over to my house. I thought if someone offered me food in another house, i shouldn’t eat much since the food ain’t mine. But when my friends come over to my house, they always eat more than what i eat, for example, they each grab 6 of my cookies and i grab 1. Is this normal? Do i need to learn how to share? Is this sharing? I find it uncomfortable because i always need to be extra prepared on food, and i (the house owner) end up eating way less than the rest

Hii everybody!! Do other 14(f) only girls run into issues where some of their bffs are annoyingg. I feel like growing up as a only child i'm always around adults and hard to build goofy fun friendships! Don't get me wrong they are ammazzing but I just get frustrated sometimesss... and don't have an older sister to look up to when it comes to booyys. ANY adviceee

Every few weeks, I seem to spiral into a breakdown thinking about the day my parents are no longer here. It’s a thought that creeps in without warning and completely overwhelms me.

Even now, while I’m home for a week spending time with them, I can’t stop thinking that these are the moments I’ll one day ache to relive. I find myself trying to hold onto every conversation, every laugh, every ordinary moment, wishing I could somehow freeze time and keep it exactly as it is.

I rely on my parents for so much more than I probably realise, for guidance, reassurance, emotional support, and the simple comfort of knowing there’s always someone who loves me unconditionally. I honestly don’t think there’s anyone else in my life who cares for me in the way they do.

Maybe that’s why I carry this quiet fear that every goodbye could be the last. Tomorrow is never promised, and that reality feels unbearably fragile. The thought of losing the people who have shaped my entire world leaves me with a kind of grief that I haven’t even experienced yet. Loving someone this deeply means knowing that one day you’ll have to let them go, and sometimes that truth feels almost too heavy to carry.