Sharing few Perks of being a Single-Child on this Siblings Day...

2057th BLOG POST

I remember my school days whenever I would get into a brawl with any of my friends. They were such funny and casual days yet the impact that it does upon your mind are, sometimes, very impactful. Every time, if I would get beaten, it was all okay for everyone as I would get back home crying. But in case I would be the person who was able to show his dominance over the other person, they would bring their elder sibling. He/she would then bully me for having disturbed their sibling. In the end, I would be the person who was always on the losing end. The only thought that disturbed me during those days was absence of a sibling in my life. I was enough intelligent to understand that I could have never got an elder sibling but I still wished to have a sibling – even if he/she would be the younger one. Atleast there would be someone who could have stood for me. Maybe, both of us would have got beaten. Haha! But I would have someone to share my pain with.

 

Every time, I considered someone as my best friend, I would automatically start searching for a sibling in them and would get very possessive. Whenever I found this friend of mine not supporting me or even if I saw them making fun of me with others, it would break my heart like anything. But as I grew up and started observing everyone around me, I found people without siblings deeper and more meaningful than people with siblings. I may be completely wrong but this is what I derived from the conversations I had with people around me. Well, I am sharing all of this today as the world is celebrating Siblings Day and well, I didn’t get wished by anyone – OBVIOUSLY!

 

Now when I see behind and judge the perk of being a single child – I think it has shaped my personality in a completely different manner. I am able to travel alone, eat alone, watch movies alone, enjoy on weekends all by myself and never feel lonely. People often ask me how I am able to travel whole day on a weekend, eat at restaurants, watch movies all alone. It is such a default mode to me that I never face any issue. Today, I can move to any part of the world and can survive even without a single person being with me in my leisure time. Isn’t this a Superpower? Haha!

 

2^nd- I always receive complete attention from my parents. Most people always complain about their parents being partial but I never had this issue. I will not even have that in future. Kisi ke saath property ka jhagda nahi hoga. 😊

 

3^rd- There was never a comparison at home. I generally see that as academically, professionally, socially – parents end up comparing one child to the another making the person get inferiority complex for their whole life. Failure becomes the biggest fear of their life. There has never been a case like that but unfortunately, being a single child, there’s whole lot of expectations with me because I am the only one to fulfill it. This did become a challenge most of the times. But atleast, I wasn’t regularly compared to that one person for 2-3 decades.

 

4^th- I am able to accept anyone without any judgment in my life as friends or family because I have always quested for friendships/companionship so I had this early realization that if I will sit with a checklist – I would never be able to find a best friend or partner-in-crime. Hence, I have always been open in accepting people which has made many of them share such secrets with me about their life which they would share with no one else.

 

5^th- I always had/have privacy. There’s no one who would invade into my cupboard or that secret diary in my absence. My clothes would not be stolen by someone else for their farewell party. Haha!

 

6^th- I had enough time to focus on my hobbies and learnings. As all of you are aware that I love reading, writing, studying, meditating, journaling, creating Youtube videos etc., these activities require solitude and me-time. I would have never got it if I had someone sharing room with me. Having whole room and time with me, I have been able to indulge in such activities quite efficiently which actually needs silence.

 

7^th- Everything that I do is something I have picked up on my own as I didn’t have siblings influencing my choices or behaviors, allowing me to develop my own sense of self and identity.

 

8^th – I think the reason I have a good sense of humour (Well, many have told me that I do hence this statement. Warna bologe kitna self-obsessed hai 😊) is because whenever I got a chance to make friends, I didn’t want to lose the opportunity hence tried something new while interacting with them. That, I think, has developed humor, spontaneity and making excuses on the spot. Haha!

 

9^th- Well, let’s make this the last point than the same 10-pointer thing which all of us generally do. The last resort that I had to do to feel I have a sibling was to become what I didn’t get. Hence, with my younger cousins, I try playing the role of an elder brother who is protective, loving, caring and a selfless guide too. Because I don’t have a real sibling, these guys are the ones who are the closest in filling that spot. Though, I start expecting a lot from my younger ones too as I want someone to pamper me always as a brother. Haha! But anyway, I have beautiful relationships with few of them.

 

Lastly, wishing all of you a very Happy Siblings’ Day! I know that when we have one, we don’t understand it’s value. Hence, I had initially thought of writing this post in a manner where people would realize what they must have missed but then to make myself feel better, I thought of thinking towards positive points of being a single-child and changed the route of this post after 2 paragraphs. Haha!

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA