i am an only child.
[{"role": "system", "content": "An only child is a person with no siblings, either biological or adopted. The term \"only child\" is generally applied only to those individuals who have never had siblings. Some children may have half-siblings or step-siblings, either living at the same house or a different house - especially those who were born considerably later - may have a similar family environment to only children, as may children who have younger siblings from both of the same parents (generally ten or more years). Throughout history, only children were relatively uncommon. From around the middle of the 20th century, birth rates and average family sizes fell sharply, for a number of reasons including increasing costs of raising children and more women having their first child later in life. The proportion of families in the U.S. with only children increased during the Great Depression but fell during the Post\u2013World War II baby boom. After the Korean War ended in 1953, the South Korean government suggested citizens each have one or two children to boost economic prosperity, which resulted in significantly lowered birth rates and a larger number of only children to the country. From 1979 to 2015, the one-child policy in the People's Republic of China restricted most parents to having only one child, although it was subject to local relaxations and individual circumstances (for instance when twins were conceived).\n"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I sometimes feel, as an only child, that I miss out on what it's like to bully my younger siblings. Can you relate to this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nah I'm a younger sibling myself. Being an only child must be weird, since I don't know what its like to not have siblings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are birth order dynamics to childhood development that I sort of just don't qualify for either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I get what you're saying. What's weird to think about is that you can be born an only child but they can adopt and therefore you aren't anymore."}, {"role": "user", "content": "True. I wonder if the effect is totally the same though when your parents adopt vs. if they have a kid naturally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's probably slightly different, since birthing a biological child is probably a lot different to adopting one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For parents who can't conceive, I imagine that at least the emotions are extremely similar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's true. On a different note, only children were relatively uncommon throughout history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe it. Had to have 19 kids because 16 of them would die before age 8. Yikes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "True, as birth rates dropped hard back in the middle of the 20th century when children dying wasn't as big of an issue."}]