Babbington, an only child whose mother was also an only child, writes that she sometimes feels a 'sting of envy' when she sees her friend's large family, imagining what it would be like to have sisters who are 'interconnected and woven into each other's lives and genes.'
She contrasts this with her own experience, observing that only children seem to fall into two camps: those who collect friendships, and those happiest in their own company. Babbington places herself 'joyously and unashamedly' in the first group.
'I love nothing more than meeting new people, and I really love a new best friend,' she writes. 'Being an only child means I'm always greedy for more friends. More connections. More sister substitutes.'
She credits her mother for this openness, recalling her mother's battle cry: 'I always socialised you!'
The essay suggests that growing up without siblings left her hungry for connection. She notes that her friend, one of several sisters, often jokes that she has 'enough friends' and no need for more acquaintances, a response Babbington attributes to being one of many siblings from the start.
For Babbington, being an only child means she is 'always greedy for more friends' and treats close friendships as 'sister substitutes.' The piece is a personal reflection rather than a scientific argument, but it offers a counterpoint to negative stereotypes about only children.