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Although attitude and mood during quarantine depends on every individual’s personality, there’s concern that only children are struggling more than kids with siblings. Teens across the world are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of how many siblings they have.
Quarantine has been unique to every family. Life is much different for only children and many might think that quarantine for singletons would be more challenging. But in reality, the struggles they are having are the same as many teenagers.
Being trapped inside is a sure way to make anyone feel lonely and unhappy, but being an only child doesn’t necessarily determine if quarantine is worse for you.
As an only child myself, when I come home from school, there’s no one there and during the summer, I’m alone from the moment I wake up until dinner time. Obviously time spent home alone would vary for every family with an only child. But the bottom line is that most kids that don’t have siblings are used to being alone.
We grew up entertaining ourselves and being independent most of the time. That may sound lonely to those who have siblings, but that’s just our reality.
In an article written by The New York Times, educational psychology professor Toni Falbo says, “There’s no special problem or obstacle that only children have to overcome because of the pandemic.”
This is new territory for everyone. While singletons don’t have siblings to lean on, we have ourselves and our parents.
The first two weeks of my quarantine were difficult. I found myself in a never-ending cycle of laying around all day, going to bed extremely late and (in turn) waking up late in the afternoon. The anxiety of not knowing what happens next was overwhelming and like others, I didn’t know how to cope.
But as online school started and the need for routine kicked in, the motivation came with it. I started to do what was best for me, getting up at a reasonable time, working through my priorities and spending positive time with myself.
Although it’s not all glamorous, quarantine gives me the time to be more independent by completing chores, cooking meals for my family and creating a schedule that works for me. It has also brought me closer to myself and my parents because of the lack of siblings and other social outlets.
A lot of teens don’t know how to deal with their feelings right now, whether they are only children or not. Some people are lacking a sense of normalcy. But as the pandemic continues, let this be a reminder that many children (singletons or not) have had their difficulties during this time.
Only children can feel as lonely, anxious or sad as any other teen.
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