Life as a Single Child in Family

Xuejun Yu
Instructor: Jason Kirkmeyer
ENGL 1210-02
October31, 2009
Life as a Single Child in Family
Since Peter was talked about the “birth control policy” in his paper, it reminds me that I am also the only child for my parents. As a single child in my family, my parents, my aunt, my grandparents, always make so much pet of me. This kind of pet, of course, not only brings so much happiness to me, but also some spokes to my independent life.

I am the only child for my parents, so that they love and protect me as a baby in their arms since I was born in this family. Both of my parents are all teachers in university which got just fair incomes from their works. However, they tried to give me the best they could afford, the best living conditions, the best education environment, and the best freedom atmosphere for me to grow up. They have given me a lot; on the other hand, they had never thought about that I can feed them back someday. I can live a better life than theirs is the only thing that they want to see in my life. My parents always prepare all the things I need in my daily life ready for me, cooking three meals a day, washing and drying my cloths, talking with me when I feel depression and trying to tell me some valuable life experiments. They do not want to see that I am walking to the wrong direction when I am standing on the crossroad for my life. This is my parents. My other family members, my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, also treat me like this.

Maybe people know this will say that I am in such a family with so much happiness. Actually, I am not under such kind of happiness. My parents put their dreams in my life that they want me to let them come true. They want me to be that kind of person who they want me to be. This is a kind of stress for me. They have done so much for me, and I really do not want them to be disappointed with me. I want them to be proud of me.

Since I left my home to go abroad for study, I have been so far away from my family. I always miss them a lot, miss my mother’s cooking, miss my father’s hug, and miss my grandmother’s old stories. I love them so much, and they are part of my life. I always feel lonely and homesick with the life far away from my family. I am pleased that I can deal with my daily life without my family. Some of my friends who are also the only child in their families cannot deal their daily life without their parents, washing their cloths, eating health, and cooking for themselves. We were grow up under our parents’ protect. If someday we leave our families, we will feel helpless without our families. The single child in each family like us is just like a flower which grows up in greenhouse that is carefully protected by gardener. This kind of flowers cannot survive if people put them in fields. Like us, we cannot leave comfortable without our families.

Actually, all the single children have been growing up, and they need to live their own lives independent. Although it is a painful for all the single children, they have to face the true world.
I left my family to go to the United States for my college study has been one year. I still can remember the first night I sleep in the United States that I hided myself under my blanket and cried till the next morning because I had already miss my family, my friends, and my hometown so much. I had nothing in this strange country, no family, no friends, no money, and no background. I was just asked myself what can I do next, and going back home is impossible. The only thing I can do is to survive in United States by myself and get stronger than I am in home. Actually, I did this. Right now, I can cook for myself, wash cloths for myself, earn money for my tuition, do well on my classes as a secondary language for me, and also repair my car when it is broken. It is an amazing change for me, and it is impossible for me to think I can do all the things just after one year I came to the United States. I also made a lot of new friends in United States. I have been already like my new life which is really different from my past life in my hometown. This year is really a painful for me, but it is really worth for me to be alive without my parents.

I am a single child in my family, and my past life before I leave my family is just like honey. I was living in a life as a center of my family. I have been survived in the outfield, and I will never be a flower in greenhouse any more. This is just part of my life, and I still need to suffer more in my whole life. This is just a start. My life will be better and better hopefully.

All single children in their families have to leave their parents sooner or later to live independent. They have to suffer this kind of painful. But it is worth for their better future.