"I never wanted kids. I got involved with someone who had a child, and then, without warning, we got full custody of that child. I've been raising them since they were 5 (they just turned 20), and there is a layer of resentment that has built up because of everything I had to sacrifice and things I had to miss out on to raise someone else's child."
"For me, the regret of having kids is totally different. My kids were born absolutely perfect. They were so tiny and innocent. And all I have done every day since that day is f*ck them up. I could never be the mom they deserve. I wish I hadn't had them, so they didn't have to suffer my maternal shortcomings and this absolutely shitty world we're leaving them."
Some parents describe entering parenthood without wanting children or being thrust into custody unexpectedly, producing long-term resentment tied to missed opportunities and personal sacrifice. Other parents express intense guilt and self-blame, feeling they have damaged children despite the children’s perceived perfection and innocence. Several parents report an absence of joy in parenting, viewing the role as burdensome or like a prison sentence while hoping for eventual child self-sufficiency. Honest admissions of these emotions are presented as a counterpoint to idealized images of parenting and highlight complex mental and emotional consequences.
Read at BuzzFeed
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