So who here doesn't have any kids?

I've chosen not to have kids. My reasoning is a little varied.

1. Kids never seem to like me, especially teenagers, and I have 0 capability in handling conflict.

2. I don't drive, so if the kid needed to go somewhere in a rush, I would be useless. And I'm not planning on learning to drive.

3. I have a mental illness that I would not wish on anyone (except maybe my worst enemy) and it's potentially hereditary.

4. I can't even commit to a tattoo design (though I've considered getting a tattoo), which is as permanent as having a kid, but requires virtually no upkeep beyond the first few weeks.

...

So yeah, I don't want kids.

I wish not to, and probably won't have kids for the next 20 years. Mostly because I want freedom to travel, to move around, and to experience things that people with children can't freely do. I would also adopt--as, I believe one of the biggest problems plaguing the world at the moment is over-population, so I don't want to add to this. And then, I would want to raise a child in an environment of which will help them--not buy an expensive house with a yard and a nice school nearby, but have enough time and the ability to be close to them. I would need a stable, rather open job to do so.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I'm a 61 year old woman. Married for almost 42 years. Always considered having children in the same way I view death and taxes. There was a brief period of time when I thought I should have children. So we tried. Death and taxes it was. Never was able to bring a child to term...thankfully.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I don't really want any... Tho my significant other wants at least one.

I don't have kids, but it's less by conscious choice than by circumstance. That said, this winter while playing nanny to my eighteen month old niece my brother asked me if I wanted kids and I told him, "Hell no." To be honest, I haven't completely ruled it out in the future, but right now I'm fine just playing aunt and older cousin to the kids in my family.

I am not having kids. No specific reason. I think you need a reason (like wanting to?) for having kids. I never had one....

Will, adoption is the only option I've ever considered for more than 3 seconds. But still - too many reasons not to, and like veinglory, no reason to do so.

No kids. Too young. Too irresponsible. And dreading the idea of potentially having to give up a pet if said kid had allergies. I probably will some day mainly because it'd be the only way to leave my mark on the world. No siblings so I need someone to listen to me when I get old.

I don't have kids and don't have any plans to have them. Either way, there's no way I'd want them right now. I'm single, I just finished college last year, and I want time to work on my career, be independent, and explore different things. I wouldn't want to get married right now, either.

But long-term, I don't have any desire to have biological kids for a number of reasons. I have considered either adopting or becoming a foster parent (I like the idea of taking in an older child or teen), but realistically, I know that can be a huge, huge commitment, that I would probably have to alter my life to make that work, and that I might face anti-LGBT prejudice when trying to foster/adopt. So I'm unsure whether I'll pursue it or not. If I end up falling in love with a woman who wants a baby, maybe I'd be open to having one if she was going to be the one getting pregnant. I'm not sure.

quite clear since childhood I did not want children. Now, at almost 40 , I have no regrets - I came from an unfortunate family background that would have left any children I had vulnerable to abuse. Now that the family members that are a problem are out of my life I would like to foster, but my partner only wants to do that with babies and I consider the " only if they're fresh" abhorrently selfish so ... No dice on fostering and thus no kids. It's not a regret at all - I had a rough go of entering adulthood and I can't say I could provide adequately even now.

That instinct to have one just isn't there for me, and never has been. My now ex-wife had kids of her own, and I don't regret one minute of trying to be a dad-type to them. But that didn't spark any desire to have my own babies nor do I feel poorer for it.

AshleyEpidemic said:

And dreading the idea of potentially having to give up a pet if said kid had allergies.

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Or, instead of giving up the pet you can get the child in to see an allergist and have them go through the series of shots to overcome the allergy. Which is what my husband and I did with my stepson. We made his bedroom a dog-free zone and put in a hard floor and taught him how to keep it clean, because he also had an allergy to dust.

AshleyEpidemic said:

I probably will some day mainly because it'd be the only way to leave my mark on the world. No siblings so I need someone to listen to me when I get old.

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There are other ways to leave a mark on the world, for instance becoming a recognized writer. And children don't listen to parents, old or not. You might want to reevaluate that idea.


I always wanted my own child, but I was unable to have any due to medical issues that required a hysterectomy. I helped raise my estranged husband's son. And in the last couple years I have "chosen" a daughter. She calls me "mom" and her daughter calls me "grandma". It's like adopting without the legal commitment.

I don't have any. I go back and forth on it. And what I mean by that is that when I'm thirty, I've decided my husband and I can discuss it again. Now that thirty is drawing near, I'm just not sure. All that freedom-gone! I love my dog, but it bums me out that having him means that I can't just fly to Fiji today (you know, the dog and money). We just finally got to a place where we aren't broke all the time and I hate Facebook pages splattered with kids. So at least for now, no. No kids.
One woman I work with actually cried (we aren't friends, simply co-workers) when I told her I probably wasn't having kids. Cried! As if me having kids in ANY WAY affected her.

Ambrosia said:

Or, instead of giving up the pet you can get the child in to see an allergist and have them go through the series of shots to overcome the allergy. Which is what my husband and I did with my stepson. We made his bedroom a dog-free zone and put in a hard floor and taught him how to keep it clean, because he also had an allergy to dust.


There are other ways to leave a mark on the world, for instance becoming a recognized writer. And children don't listen to parents, old or not. You might want to reevaluate that idea.

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Hmmm... allergist, brilliant idea. And I know a child will never listen. I however, do wish to make my dad happy. He's always wanted a grandchild and since I'm the only kid, I want to make him happy. He's done so much for me and still makes me his number one priority even though I'm half way across the country and mostly take care of myself. If I could find that sort of relationship at some point with a kid that would be nice. Even if things go awry, I know I've tried.

Kids still scare the bugger out of me, but slowly they are becoming less terrifying.

Niki03 said:

One woman I work with actually cried (we aren't friends, simply co-workers) when I told her I probably wasn't having kids. Cried! As if me having kids in ANY WAY affected her.

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Does this woman have children of her own? She may be dealing with infertility, which can cause overblown reactions to other people's situations...or she's just a nosy Nellie and I'm over-analyzing.

I wasn't brainwashed that I was supposed to have children or to make my parents into grandparents. I was left to make my own choice without pressure.

Plus when I was a girl I babysat quite a bit. I'd watch the parents. Most times, they appeared resigned with no joy there. Even at that young age, I realized too many people idealized parenthood and children, and I just don't see the point.

I have many child-free friends and they don't regret their choice either. I have many friends who're parents and most of them say if they had to do it over again, they wouldn't.

Only one person every told me kids were great. He was a single man with no kids. And he got ticked off because I said I wasn't having any!

When I read the title of this thread, I thought a forumite is trying to sell his kids.

Who doesn't have kids, I got a few of them, does anyone want any kids? Sir, would you like to take my kids? They're for free and if you pay them pocket money, they'll even wash your car.

Uhhh... the last time I tried to go out with someone, I had a mental breakdown. And that was because they said yes.

Kind of hard to go for kids if you can't even get that far...

Niki03 said:

One woman I work with actually cried (we aren't friends, simply co-workers) when I told her I probably wasn't having kids. Cried! As if me having kids in ANY WAY affected her.

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Wow. That's extreme. That must have been terribly uncomfortable. What a whackadoo.

I have no kids and have never had the desire to. I have little to no maternal instincts.

I'm at that point in my life too - everywhere I look, people are getting pregnant and popping out kids. I currently don't have any, because even though I'm married and have been with my husband for nearly eight years before then, we're not really in that place to have them. I'm not opposed to the idea of having a kid (although a few years ago my answer would be "no freakin' way"), and perhaps we'll be ready to start trying in a year or two.

It really, REALLY doesn't help that my grandma wants to be a great-grandma and is complaining that none of her grandchildren are getting pregnant *sigh*