7 hours ago
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2. "Mixed, honestly. I joined the emotion of my life, and helium couldn't conceive. Yes, we could person chosen different methods of having children, including donor sperm, but yet we decided to stay child-free. I bash wonderment astatine times what mightiness person been and what I person missed. But I besides person truthful overmuch that I mightiness not person different had. I emotion my husband. I emotion travel. I emotion my life."
3. "We’re connected abrogation close present and person seen aggregate screaming, crying kids today. While we consciousness for the parents, we've been saying, 'Glad that's not us!'"
5. "Some days it feels empowering, immoderate days a small lonely. But mostly: peaceful."
6. "There are times I privation I had children, but I person a batch of advantages and get to bash each kinds of things I wouldn’t beryllium capable to bash if I did. Also, not definite I could person been a bully parent. I similar to deliberation I would beryllium capable to bash it, but not sure."
7. "If I'm this mediocre without kids, past it would beryllium an implicit travesty if I did person kids."
8. "Pretty awesome. I person a spouse and a cat. My friends person kids, truthful I miss them a lot. But I question arsenic overmuch arsenic I can. And bask my lazy play mornings and bash immoderate hobby I please. I’m not anxious and don’t person galore worries. I rent my location and bask making it arsenic I privation it."
9. "It feels frustrating erstwhile I'm judged. I'm 47. No kids. My hubby passed distant 2 years agone and truthful galore incredibly insensitive radical person said things like, 'I stake you privation you'd had kids now! You indispensable beryllium lonely,' oregon I person been told I'm 'selfish for not having any.' I don't get that. At all! I hatred that it's seen arsenic a conscious, thought-through prime to NOT person kids. Seems to maine it should beryllium the having kids portion that is simply a consciously thought-through decision! But it conscionable feels normal. Because it's mean for me."
10. "I consciousness similar I would person loved to person kids successful my 20s, but now? I’m conscionable gladsome I get to question and enactment connected becoming my champion self. I walk decent chunks of clip with my nieces, truthful I inactive person a consciousness of having younger radical successful my life."
"I spoil them erstwhile I can, subordinate to their struggles, and stock my beingness contented successful a chill aunt benignant of way. What feels awesome is that they cognize they tin spot opening up to me."
11. "I consciousness much fitter, happier, and much productive. Life feels comfortable. I'm not drinking excessively much, and I'm capable to regularly workout astatine the gym 3 days a week. I get connected easier with my subordinate worker contemporaries. In general, I'm astatine ease. I devour good and don't person to edifice to microwave dinners oregon foods precocious successful saturated fats for a speedy meal. Also, I'm a much diligent and amended operator than if I had kids."
12. "I consciousness financially secure. And not disquieted astir retirement."
13. "I've made it to 70 years aged without kids and it's inactive great. I got to bash things I wouldn't person been capable to bash otherwise. And connected a importantly affirmative note, I broke the generational concatenation of kid maltreatment that is simply a learned behaviour — I didn't consciousness it was due to gamble with an guiltless life."
14. "I don't regret not having kids. It was 100% a choice. But I bash regret the nonaccomplishment of the anticipation of each having kids. Now that I'm successful my 40s and a gestation would beryllium adjacent to impossible, it sometimes feels similar the prime to not person kids isn't mine anymore, similar it's being imposed connected me."
15. "I conflict a bit. My beingness is childless by circumstance, not needfully choice; however, prime and clip were factors. I chose not to person kids aboriginal connected erstwhile confronted with forced azygous parenting — I was joined to a cheating hubby who wasn’t funny successful the responsibility, truthful I chose to terminate the gestation (very aboriginal term). It was traumatic. Then, galore years later, erstwhile I learned to spot idiosyncratic again, I joined the idiosyncratic I would person chosen to rise my children with. However, helium is importantly older and didn’t privation kids. So, I came to presumption with my situation, but I grieve rather a bit. Being a DINK (dual income, nary kids) mates means disposable income and tons of freedom...but portion of maine feels similar I ne'er grew up. I ne'er recovered the joyousness successful beingness done nurturing different beingness that way. It’s some a heavy grief and a relief. I'm conscionable being honest."
16. "I look astatine the authorities of the satellite and intelligence wellness issues successful my household and cognize that this is the champion determination I could person made."
17. "It's quiet, peaceful, unrestricted...but besides a spot empty? I person my hubby and my animals, and I ever wanted to beryllium a mother, but the beingness had antithetic plans. Now I'm 42 years aged and I yet person the accidental to really possibly springiness it a go, but my assemblage is already beauteous messed up and I can't ideate the aches with children. I americium a teacher though, and implicit the years successful alternate acquisition settings, I person picked up immoderate 'kids' of my ain on the way."
19. "I consciousness similar I dodged astatine slightest 18-plus years of bullets. Child-free by choice, and I regret nothing. My location is quiet, I tin slumber whenever I want, aftermath up astatine immoderate clip of day, and don't person to modulate my emotions oregon moods. Best wishes to each those who are and/or privation to beryllium parents."
20. "For me, being childless was not by choice. Being escaped of work is nice, but it doesn’t marque up for the trade-off of not being capable to acquisition the joys of being a parent. Every clip I conscionable idiosyncratic caller they inquire astir my children. It’s a painful, awkward speech each time."
21. "I'm 42 years old, child-free by choice, and I'm truly blessed with my life. But determination is this happening that happens wherever each my peers presume I’m a batch younger due to the fact that I’m not surviving the same manner arsenic them. I precocious started a caller occupation and I've been getting a batch of 'When you’re my age...' comments from radical who don’t recognize I’m older than them!"
22. And lastly: "Feels similar I americium precisely wherever I'm accidental to be."
If you don't person kids, however aged are you, and however bash you honestly consciousness astir it successful this moment? Let maine cognize successful the comments oregon the anonymous signifier below.
Note: Submissions person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.
English (US) ·