"I love my son. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me in many ways. He's made me a more patient, responsible person. I don't believe in heaven, but I would think he was an angel if I did. His smiles and giggles light up my soul. But I have never felt so hopeless, exhausted, and worn down. If I could do it all over again, I really think I would have given him up for adoption."
"Choosing not to have kids has been the single best decision of my life. To be fair, it wasn't a 'choice.' I've never wanted kids. I never played with dolls as a child; I only babysat under extreme duress (if, for example, a neighbor or my parents' friends were in a jam), and from my earliest memories, I thought being a parent was the worst deal around. I only saw negatives, no upsides, to being a parent..."
"I am an extreme introvert, and the sheer amount of forced interaction with others (teachers, doctors, other parents) that having a child would require would be painful to me. Instead, I have focused my time and energy on educating myself and building my own business. I spend my money on animal welfare charities and Planned Parenthood. The only thing that makes me feel somewhat bad about my decision is that my brother also didn't have children."
Societal pressure to procreate is intense, yet personal decisions about having children diverge widely. Some parents deeply love their children and gain personal growth but experience overwhelming exhaustion and regret about parenting’s sacrifices. Others never desired children, find parenting unattractive, and report that remaining childfree enabled personal development, career focus, charitable giving, and emotional comfort. Family reactions vary, including parental worry about social perceptions and assumptions about upbringing. Introversion and aversion to obligatory social interactions motivate some childfree choices. Emotional complexity and trade-offs characterize both parenting and childfree paths.
Read at BuzzFeed
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