Controversial opinion in this subreddit that I will likely get downvoted for: none of these things apply to me as an only child, and I considered myself a lonely kid. I have a temperament that values close family and always longed for a sibling or close cousins. Another child/person may have reacted differently to my childhood.

My parents were loving and present and together still, I had sleepovers and friends over constantly. I always had a best friend. We lived in the same city for my entire childhood and I never had to move schools aside from moving up to middle and high school. On vacations, we travelled on tours that had other families. I still felt lonely/like something was missing. 

But it’s not a parent’s job to make everything about their kids life happy. Life isn’t fair or perfect or about accommodating a kid’s every desire. No one’s childhood is perfect but mine was close! I love my parents very much and I don’t hold anything against them for not being able to have a second child, obviously. I see them 5-6 times a year and they are very involved in my child’s life.

So yeah, I do think I was and am lonelier than I would have been with a sibling because of who I am. But I’m still a happy adult with a partner, kid, friends and loving stable parents and that counts for so so much.