Did you ever want to be an only child? I never did, but most only children say they loved it because they got everything they wanted and everything

@Musicman Ya I wouldn't treat an only child like everything only revolved around them.

@Cloud7593 My dad owned a residential construction company. He told me the summer between first and second grade that I was going to work with him every day that summer. That I was going to clean out his new houses every day and I could have a dollar a day and be happy or get my ass kicked and do it for free. My dad didn't make idle threats. I took the dollar. By 12 I was paying for almost everything in my life. My birthday is at Thanksgiving. He would tell my mom that I didn't need a birthday present and a Christmas present. That they were to close together. I could have one or the other.

@Musicman Ah you got the Christmas birthday shaft.

@Cloud7593 Yep. I just learned to keep my mouth shut. They actually completely forgot my birthday twice.

@Musicman Mine was forgotten completely last year but for the first time. My Mum had dementia.

@SW-User That is excusable. I am sorry to hear that for the both of you. Where did you grow up at?

@Musicman Yeah... I would have shrugged it off, except at the end of the day, Mum asked "Was this your birthday?" and then threw a $20 bill on the table. That was typical of her attitude toward me. She was careless about things like birthdays before dementia set in.

I was raised in various states -- no one place was home.

@SW-User My wife was like that. She lived all over the country. I was born, raised and lived in Virginia until I retired.