on being a mom

[Blue_Wildflower]

I think one advantage parents have over childless people is that we have all been childless at one point, but the currently childless have never been parents. Thus, I would give more credence to the parent's arguments for or against, than the childless.

Karen

When I was 28, I told my mom I did not want children. Her heart sank. Prior to my 30th birthday, she told me if she had to do it all over again she would live her life exactly as I am living it right now. She loves her kids and all of us (even as adults) come first in her life, but if she had another chance she would not have gotten married at all (which for her also means not having kids). She would have went to college (she eventually went . . . in her 50's) and lived the past 30-40 years of her life single and full of adventures.

Neither party to this thread has an advantage over the other. Even if you are a parent, you still do not know what is ahead of you. You know what you experience and maybe, what will happen the next day. You do not know what raising your teenager will be like until it happens. Sure, you've heard stories. You were a teenager yourself. But, that is all you can go on.

I do not want children not because they are icky. I do not feel superior. Just made a decision based on what I know about myself, what I know of the experience (being the child and through others), and what I want in life.

I've been told that my mind will change when I meet a man I truly love and want to share my life with. We'll see. I am dating a man that does not want kids either (he's snipped), so I do not see that happening. Should my mind (or his) change and it is no longer naturally possible, well, there are lots of kids in this country that need homes. Until that event happens, I accept my decision