Coming from another angle, I am an only child and it is sometimes hard. You feel more responsible for your immediate family as there is no one to share the load or family business with (unless there are Aunts/Uncles etc around). When your parents pass away, it can be a very lonely feeling especially since I don't have a lot of other family.

It wouldn't be as bad if you had lots of cousins to play with. I didn't have this and it could be lonely at times. I had friends but it is not the same as family IYKWIM. The worst time was going away on holidays as there was often no kids to play with or do things with. We never went away with other families which would of fixed this problem.

I think as a result of being an only child I can't always cope with a lot of people or noise around. Even though I am quite social I feel the need to withdraw at times. I also feel I don't deal with conflict very well.

On the positives, I think only children are quite mature and responsible. I think the spoiling, selfish thing is a myth, it really depends on your parenting style. There are more opportunities for kids to socialise like playgroups, childcare, vacation care etc. I would of loved these things but they weren't around in my day.

Good luck with your decision, I am sure you will best one.