Selfish, spoiled, lonely … these only children have heard it all. But are the stereotypes true?

There was one thing only child Gai Williams was certain of from a young age: she had no intention of having only one child herself.

Articulate, self-sufficient, “pretty good” at sharing and “very good” at keeping herself occupied, the 73-year-old rejects most negative stereotypes that pop-psychologists swear prove the debunked “only child syndrome” is alive and well.

But there is one stereotype, as Williams reveals in the video below, that she does lend weight to.

While she was surrounded by cousins and friends growing up, her father’s job meant the family-of-three had to move around often. Bouncing between schools and new classmates without a sibling to lean on made life, at times, lonely.

Compounding her isolation was that only children were a rarity in Melbourne in the 1960s. But no longer.

While Williams’ no-sibling status played a large part in her becoming a mother to three sons, a convergence of crises since the Great Recession – cost of living, housing, childcare, world events – has led to Australia’s fertility rate hitting a record low.

Parents who, decades ago, would have had three or more children are now raising one or two instead.

For some parents, not giving their child a sibling is heartbreaking, a feeling some only children align with.

Most only children from across the country this masthead spoke to for the video above, however, wouldn’t trade their childhood for one with siblings.

“I loved being an only child,” says 29-year-old Mikaela Charles, from Sydney. She would not have minded having someone she could speak to at home about boys, but her old-school music knowledge is top-notch, and she enjoyed the family holidays that might not have been on offer had they had more mouths to feed.

“We were able to do a lot more as a family, I think, than if there were more of me,” she says. “I’ve also seen siblings fight, physically, so there are parts where I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, maybe I’m good with where I’m at.’ ”

Melbourne business owner Ali Clarke, 43, says growing up around adults made her mature faster. As does 30-year-old Sydneysider Adrian Begg, who has been independent from a young age.

First Nations artist Mitch Tambo remembers his primary school principal telling his mother, “Wow, sometimes we forget we’re even talking to a kid.”

All take issue with the “spoiled brat” label, which they say is a myth.

“You can be one of 16 and be spoiled and carry on and have a bad attitude; it all comes down to parenting,” says Tambo.

The 36-year-old is raising four girls in Melbourne with his wife, Lele, and adores watching their daughters’