I'm not an only child, but my only sibling is 8 years older than me. So we were never close (until adult years). And I grew up in a very rural area with no neighbors. Basically I was really good at entertaining myself. I had 'invisible friends' (no, I wasn't seeing anything - I always knew it was pretend) and I loved creating stories to act out. I loved Barbies and playing house and Legos. I had a farm to explore. Cats and usually a dog. An old hen house was my play house. I wasn't bored too often. Though sometimes I missed someone else to just interact with. Every once in a while I'd ask for a boardgame for Christmas only to get it and realize I had no one to play with. My Monopoly game was still pristine 30 years later when I finally sold it in a garage sale. But it made me good at being with myself. I can be social and enjoy getting together with people. But I'm also totally A-OK to sit at home alone and just do my own thing. I was completely content to live alone. Silence doesn't bother me. I don't need noise in the house. Though I always wanted a sibling close to my age, being on my own did make me a little more independent and self reliant later in life.