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Originally Posted by
Becky
Well said, Indy.
I think that kids are adorable (usually), but there's a limit to my stress management abilities and patience, combined with the requirements of my own healthcare.
I just wish that people would stop asking me about it. *sighs*
Thanks, and agreed. When I was still sort of on the fence about it, I really hated when people would just dismiss any concern on my part about my advancing age. Apparently, they think because a few celebrities get pregnant after the age of 40, then it's simply a non-issue. Ugh. I really don't feel like having to explain the ins and outs of fertility, the costs of in vitro, the side effects of fertility drugs, birth defects or the like. Nor do I want to explain why I don't want to put my body through a pregnancy at this age. The bottom line is that the decision to have or not have kids is intensely personal. It's rare that I ever offer any opinion about it other than my own.
I feel most sorry for my DH because he's younger than me, and I'm sure most of his friends and family expect him to have kids. Of course, they probably scratched their heads when he married me in the first place. His parents haven't pressed us yet. I'm happy to have a conversation with them about it. In fact I'd prefer that to any kind of passive-aggressive nonsense. I can't precisely predict how they'll react. They were actually pretty cool about our age difference, but I also know that their retirement is the absolute antithesis of what I want my own to look like, so I'm not sure they're going to really appreciate the plus side of being childless either.
For better or for worse, my parents couldn't care less. They've expressed no desire to grandparent. Heck, they barely expressed a desire to parent, so this comes as no surprise.
Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
--Mary Anne Radmacher