Are you an only child?

In many ways I had the best of both worlds. Just one sister 13 years older than me who'd left home by the time I was at school, so I didn't have to share my parents' attention. No pressure from them to succeed - my sister had had that! - but plenty of encouragement to do what I wanted in life. They were very easygoing as I grew up, unlike the strict parents they'd been with my sister when they were much younger. And the age difference hasn't mattered a jot since I grew up - we are very close and I love her to bits. Also, we could support each other when our parents needed help in their later years.

Still, even though I had loads of friends as a child, I envied those with brothers and sisters of a similar age when our mothers shouted us in after playing out and I had to go home alone. And my many cousins were all much older than me, so no use to me at all as a child! Both my sister and I had children very close together in age - my three have been very close throughout their childhood and still are, which is wonderful.