Why I hate being an only child

Person: So how many siblings do you have?
Me: None, I’m an only child.
Person: Woah! I had a feeling you were. Anyways, you’re so lucky.
Me: You, my friend, have no idea.

17 years have elapsed since I’ve been born. 17 freaking’ years. Sadly, I have to face these questions every other day or whenever I meet someone new. After a few basic questions, this question always seems to pop up and usually always ends with the person saying I’m really lucky. Well we all know that being an only child has its upsides, like not sharing stuff with a sibling, being the center of attention and peace at home – but sadly, it’s not exactly like that. Here in this post, I’ll be talking about why I hate being an only child and why it’s a drag. The points below are in no specific order. The points are equally responsible for making me hate being an only child.

- ALL THE ATTENTION. Unless you live in an extended family, you’re going to be in the spotlight. I know attention is nice and all but don’t you sometimes wish you were on your own and could relax? Well we only child kids don’t get much of the chance. Being the only child means that all the FBI surveillance genes in your parents will be used on you. So basically, you’re under a watch 24/7.

- OVER PROTECTIVE PARENTS. I know it sounds as if I’m only complaining about parents, but I’ll get to society soon. Parents who only have one kid are bound to be more protective than people with kids amounting to players in a football team. Again, all their FBI surveillance genes are used on you. They don’t want you out of their sight. Especially if you’ve been asking them to send you abroad for University. They’ll just pull out “you’re our everything” card. Bye bye foreign education dreams. They won’t let you go

- EXPECTATIONS. Believe me, this is the worst thing about being an only child. All the expectations your parents had will be linked to you. Yes, you! You’ll have to be the all rounder. You should be able to get distinctions, be an amazing speaker, a brilliant cook, a handy hand around the house, a creative artist and whatever your parent’s wildest desires are. Believe me; expectations from your parents will kill you. However, if you decide to play dumb from the beginning, you’ve chosen a good way to go.

- DON’T YOU GET BORED ALONE LINE. Society and their dumb questions. This question literally makes me want to face palm myself. After the you’re so lucky dialogue, some people in attempts of making a conversation last longer bring up the question whether I get bored being an only child. HOW DO YOU GET BORED FROM YOUR OWN LIFE? A LIFE YOU’RE ACCUSTOMED TO AND HAVE BEEN LIVING FOR 17 YEARS? No people, I don’t get bored. And if I ever do, I use my phone, laptop, tv or any other bizarre alien technology I can lay my hands on. Besides I do have siblings. In fact I have loads. (Shout out to all my siblings ^_^ )

- YOU MUST GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT. Once you bring up the fact that you’re an only child, people start assuming you get everything you want. Sure I get more things than usual kids but I have to earn them by fulfilling my parents’ wishes. I guarantee that no one’s parents would by them a new gadget for failing an exam. Believe me, we lone children have to sweat blood in order to get what we have. Respect us.

-BEING SPOILED TO THE CORE. Well since most kids who are an only child live in solitude at home, they’re much more used to having things going their way. What I basically mean is that, you want everyone to do whatever you want your way most of the time because you think everyone will. But sadly, the world doesn’t go like that. It’s a sad place. And because most of my opinions are heard and implemented on at home, I usually feel that they will be implemented on outside my home. This usually ends up in disappointment.


-PEOPLE ASSUMING YOU'RE AN ONLY CHILD. People usually ask me how many siblings i have, when i tell them I'm an only child, i usually get the comeback "i thought you were, i just had a strong hunch." I find this highly annoying. Does my face read "pampered, lonely, spoiled, etc"?

-NOT BEING ABLE TO BEAR ANYONE’S INTERVENTION AT HOME. This is basically for those who live in a nuclear family like me where it’s just mom, dad and me. When you’re an only child and you live in such conditions, you wont be able to tolerate any guests who intend to stay over for a long time. I mean it. Intervention and interruption in your home is the most annoying thing for a person like me.

-HAVING A REALLY QUIET HOME. Imagine being home alone at 12 am. Lights go off, you don’t have a generator or a UPS (because your ups caught fire last year and you’re scared to install a new one) and you have no one to pass your time with or comfort yourself. Being an only child means being bored, having a quiet home and sitting idle when most of your friends are busy or you can’t go out or anything. So yea. It gets creepy and sad for us too.

-LONELINESS. Sometimes, deep down inside, you feel as if something is incomplete, sometimes you feel a rage of jealousy when you see your friends' siblings do something sweet for them and sometimes you just want a friend who'd be with you all the time and would always be there. This is kind of emotional, but sometimes an only child feels the need of a sibling. We don't like to admit it, but we do feel it.
 
So yea, this is why I hate being an only child.

Unpredictability

I just heard of another sudden death recently, and it reminded me of a note written by one of my friends Hasan Saeed. I was compelled to re-read his post. Then it came up to me. I should post his note hear at the blog so that these beautiful words can be here for you all to read. So with his permission, i am posting up his note.I guess this is our very first guest post in a way. Oh my gosh. I am excited :D

It was the 27th of April 2013, around 4.30 pm when I came online on my facebook account just like I do on every other day. I was scrolling to my newsfeed when I saw something, 'Rest in peace Hamza Ahmed, you were a gem of a person, you will be missed'. Who was this Hamza? What had happened to him? I was unaware of the fact that while I was busy in my life, studying for my CIE's, a boy had been killed. Despite whatever had the reason for the fight was, they dont matter now, point was, the boy was killed. Why was he killed?  A petty little dispute? A fight over something? No matter how bad the fight may have gotten, no one has the right to kill the other person. But it did happen nonetheless, a life was lost, a family was broken, a sisters dreams for her brother were shattered, their parents? I cant even begin to even think of what must have gone through their minds when they received the call that told them that their young boy is no more in the World.

The past few months have been life changing for me. I usually dont write such stuff but today I decided to let it all out. Its been two months since a guy from my school Hamza Khatri got killed in a car accident.  That day when again I logged onto facebook to see yet another status about the terrible accident. He was in his A Levels! He had his full life ahead of him yet it just took for a moment to change everything. 

Lets go back a few months more, it was December, a normal day for the rest of us but not for one family. Shahzeb Khan's family, the young man who was killed due to a fight too. While you're reading this, the thought that must be coming to your mind right now will be this, 'People die everyday, why is he focusing on just these 3?' Let me tell you something, YES people die everyday! Innocent people are killed for no reason whatsoever, their families are broken and for what? Some people die for someone, some are killed on accounts of fights or disputes. And what do we do? We keep on living our lives, unaware of it all. 

I didnt know Shahzeb, I didnt even know Hamza but a couple of my really good friends did. To see them upset, to see them feel that they wont even see their friends anymore hurt me too. I didnt even know Hamza Khatri but a large amount of my friends did. Ever imagine what they would be going through? What they would've been feeling? 

I still remember, I was in the 5th or 6th grade and I had this friend Maham Naeem. One of the sweetest, kindest and energetic people you will EVER meet. Who knew that one day when she came to school, she wont be there the other day? Turned out, a fire struck her house which took her life too. She was no more yet we still were.

People are dying everyday, whether it be Hamza, Shahzeb or anyone, people are dying. Kids like Rayyan Pervaiz and the Sialkot Brothers and the Shia brothers who were killed and for what reason? NO reason is strong enough to take someones lives until and unless they commit an unforgivable sin! And i know none of them did that. 

Everyday we wake up, we wash our face, eat our breakfast and get on with our lives. We study, we work, we play, we live. Right now when im writing this, there must be someone who was killed today, someone who's family will have to continue without them and why? Because if one person did not justice, the rest? Why would they? It starts with one and goes on to make hundreds! Remember the saying that drop by drop an ocean gets made? This is time we do something, we put an end to these ruthless killings, we the youth take a stand against this!

Fighting on the fact that Hamza was a party animal and saying stuff about him wont do you any good. It will make things harder for YOU! Allah is watching, He surely knows what is right and what is wrong. No one else knows, no one else. 

Life is unpredictable, Allah plans it for us and surely He knows what is best for us. We cant even THINK to disagree with what He has in plan and with what He does for Allah surely knows best. While live this life forgetting of the sacrifices the people before our time made, we forget of what is right and what is wrong, we indulge in evils everyday and for what? Just because we want to enjoy life? We want to live it to the fullest? Why dont we forgive the people that hurt us? Why dont we spend time with our families rather then spending that time on other stuff, why dont we actually do something for our Nation? For our Religion? For the people we love and care for?

Hamza  Ahmed didnt deserve to die but neither did any of the other innocent people. Its time we start taking our lives more seriously, we use this limited time to get closer to people, to help people, to become better human beings, to become better Muslims, to get closer to Allah so that one day when we leave this world, the people behind us remember us with good words, they pray for us and this small act we did in our life, encourages others to do so. Life is in constant flux, thinking of what could've, should've or would've happened wont change anything so when your done reading this, I hope you realise that theres more to this life then just fun. Im Certainly not saying that dont enjoy life, do it! Certainly do but at the sametime remember things that are important, remember to help someone, to pray, and remember to be a good human being.

It is time we realise that we wont live forever. Even if one person does an act of goodness, everyone will soon follow and then we wont have to see any killings like Hamza Ahmed or like Shahzeb Khan. I know this has stretched to long but I cant stop writing here. 

Im just an average 16 year old child living a normal life just like any of you out there. I dont want ANYONE to be the next Hamza Ahmed, or the next Rayyan Pervaiz. I want justice, not only for them but for EACH AND EVERY PERSON THAT WAS KILLED. The day one gets justice, the rest will follow.

This was about two things : To realise the importance of life and how unpredictable it is and to also realise that Justice is needed before we see much darker days. We all need to have faith in Allah, whatever he does will be for the best. I hope this little piece makes you realise, makes a difference in your life because we need to make a change before our time on this world ends! 

May Allah grant all the souls Jannat and make their families get through these times. Pray for Everyone, each and every person! May Allah make us better human beings and better Muslims and guide us to the right path and make us see the light again so that we could live a much much happier life.

Billboard top 100. flop 100 more likely.

I hate the fact that billboard top 100, has a crappy top 10. Eww. I cant stand listening to the music. How come thrift shop is still there. it's like the most pointless song there is. Ugh.

Well yea i should stop ranting behind a laptop screen and move on and look for some good music. I am on my search peeps.

Much love.