Stereotypes Of The Only Child Essay

Throughout my childhood, adults frequently questioned me on whether or not I fit the stereotype of the only child. I have been asked if I was spoiled and bossy more times than I can count. In a way, I feel that I did fit this stereotype as a child, but I also feel at one time or another every child believes the world revolves around them. My family has described my younger self as being very defiant and strong-willed. I regularly did not listen to any of the tasks authority figures asked me to do, and instead I would stare at them and continue to do whatever I wanted. I also loved being the center of attention. When I started kindergarten, I had an easy time making friends and was very outgoing. I loved learning and was a very well behaved, …show more content…
I also no longer enjoyed having the attention on me, but rather dreaded it. I attribute this change to the repeated bullying I began to face on the bus to and from school everyday. When I tried to receive help from the school counselors and other staff, I was frequently blamed for allowing the incidents to happen and criticized for being shy. This only caused my shyness to intensify and manifest itself to where I rarely talked to anyone in school, unless I was very close to them. I consider this to be the starting point to my anxiety and self esteem issues that I carried with me into middle and high school. Though I began to be a more introverted child, I was still happy and maintained many friendships and participated in many activities, such as dance and baton twirling. I still possess many qualities that have stuck with me through adolescence and into young adulthood. I am still very kind and enjoy making friends. The strong-willed personality that gave my parents a challenge when I was a child has now mellowed out and is beneficial in many aspects of my life. Being self-motivated and inner-directed has helped me to succeed in school and other activities, as well as to avoid peer