Today is National Only Child Day. I am technically an only child although I do have some step-siblings. As I was reading about the history of Only Child Day it got me thinking about how much impact my childhood, and the related lack of siblings, may have had on my fitness habits, likes, dislikes, and interests.
I grew up in a fairly sedentary household. I was rarely encouraged to join team sports or to spend time in the outdoors. As a child of the 80s I had freedom to roam the streets on feet or bicycle “until the street lights came on,” but I can’t remember ever being out that long. When I was in kindergarten I joined a girls soccer team. The Panthers. We had all black uniforms with white trim and we were hot stuff. But after a schedule change I left the team because the team practice times didn’t work for our family. In later years we lived in communities with outdoor pools and I was in the water as much as possible. Swimming as a sport was not common in our area, or at least I didn’t know about it, so as much as I enjoyed being in the pool it was more playing around and less structured.
All of this is, of course, my experience. I’m sure others had similar experiences and equally sure many others can’t relate. But Only Child Day got me wondering how the fitness experiences of my youth might have been different if I had siblings. Would physical activity been something we would have done together, either formally or informal play around the house? Would a sibling have spurred some sort of competitive motivation to join a team sport, either with them or to outshine them? Would my naturally introverted self been more willing to hang with the neighborhood kids running/riding the streets with a sibling by my side? Or would I still have been the same indoorsy kid who would rather read or do a puzzle than go outside?
There are a lot of factors that go into this line of “what if” thinking…. What if there were siblings? What if either of my parents had a love of the outdoors? What if I really took to team or community sports as a kid? Any one of these might have changed my adult preferences for quiet, solo activity that mostly occurs in my basement instead of in outdoor or community spaces. Or maybe it would all be the same because I just like what I like.
How about you? Any only children feel like having siblings would have changed your outlook on activities? Anyone with siblings feel like they had a big influence or no influence at all?
Amy Smith is a professor of Media & Communication and a communication consultant who lives north of Boston. Her research interests include gender communication and community building. Amy spends her movement time riding the basement bicycle to nowhere, walking her two dogs, and waiting for it to get warm enough for outdoor swimming in New England.
My sister and I spent a lot of time together, but her choice would usually have been more indoors-quiet than mine. I read a lot, but preferred to be sitting up in a tree with my book. She’d have been in a comfortable place inside. We grew up in the 50s & 60s, so also had pretty much unlimited time we could be outdoors, and we both were – bicycle to the candy shop, just ride around the block a lot, or to the school playground. I am sure we both spent more time on the other’s preferred path than we would have had we been only children, but that didn’t change us in any fundamental way. I happen just to have come from her new place, having helped lug in some garden stuff, because I do the gym; she doesn’t. I’m about 2 years older, and shorter, but much stronger. It seems to be who we were born to be.
Thanks for sharing that – sibling paths are so interesting to me as an only. 🙂 ~Amy
The more families I see, the more I am convinced we are born to be who we are, and that parents, siblings, schools…life, all have very little power to make fundamental changes. About anything, not just activity preferences. Oh, the details develop based on the culture and the place in history, and all sorts of things. I now watch my all very different 5 grandchildren grow and have my theory reinforced constantly. I am glad to live in a time where these differences are more widely recognized, so ways are created to help different people find their most promising pathways. Christine’s postings are great examples.