Millennials Are Sharing Why They Are Childfree, And It's Not At All Because They Hate Kids
Parenting is a life-changing, rewarding, and amazing experience, but not everyone wants to be a parent. There are many, many personal reasons why adults choose to be childfree, ranging from not being able to financially afford it to simply not wanting to have one because they enjoy their lives without a kid.
Recently, Reddit user Environmental-Eye373 was curious about why people don't have kids when they asked in the Millennials subreddit: "Is anyone here still childfree?"
The thread got over 5K responses from millennials who shared why they are childfree. Below are the top and best comments:
1."I am a 33M and have no kids. I always said that if I was going to have any kids, I would have to have an amazing partner for the journey. I have not found anyone who fits that criteria for me, so I have no kids."
"I have an amazing partner...but, I just don't feel the urge or the pull. I'm 34."
2."I'm 43, and spayed. I can be stable for one person but not two."
"Remember to spay and neuter your over 40s people"
3."Yep. I'm 35 and had my vasectomy done last year — no kids for me."
"I'm just a slight bit younger, and I also did mine last year. No regrets. Especially as I was just recently lounging in a nice hotel hot tub and listening to some little kids shrieking while playing in the adjacent pool, making the same sounds that I imagine people would make while being dismembered with a chainsaw."
4."I am 36 here and have no kids. I helped raise my sister's kids while I was a teen and knew then that I didn’t want any of my own."
"I'm 36 here as well. I had to help raise my brother's kids when I was 16 or so. That was enough for me."
5."My fiancé and I are in our mid-30s and have agreed that we don't want kids. The planet is dying, the state of the world is bad, and the idea of going through pregnancy and birth fucking terrifies me. Plus, we're perfectly content being selfish with our time and money. We have nieces, and we have dogs. We're good."
6."I’m almost 42 and no kids. I have two dogs that are my children. I have a niece who's almost 13, and I enjoy being an aunt. The state of the world would be too much for me, I worry what type of world my niece will have as an adult."
"I don't have to worry about what life will be like for my cats, dog, and horse. I can make sure they are provided for and treated better than probably 90% of the world's children. They have high-quality food, the best medical care, luxury bedding, never any insecurity, a good, caring family, and good social connections (yes, even my cat loves visiting extended family and her dog cousins).
I'm 36 and my husband had a vasectomy. We're also dealing with declining parents and have no idea how people deal with kids and parents at the same time."
7."A 29F here. I’m a fence sitter. There’s something in me that really does want to have a kid, but I also like the idea of having the money and freedom to travel and have other experiences that kids can kind of hinder. But then, there’s that nagging feeling that when I’m old, I’ll regret it if I don’t have one. And I look at the amazing relationship my mom and I have and want that for myself with my own child, too. I dunno, man. Shit’s hard."
"FWIW, our perspective is that you can 100% parent 'correctly,' and there is zero guarantee that your children will still be 1.) living near you in old age, 2.) have a close relationship with you in old age, 3.) develop into adults that share interests and commonalities with you.
Being real about it being a crap shoot of having a close relationship with children later in life helped us make our decision about no kids (along with additional considerations)."
8."I'm 41, and I think I missed my chance to be a mom. I'm devastated. But life happens. So...single and no kids. Just me and my dog in the house I bought...so my freaking dog could have a yard, LOL."
"Don't say never, especially if you are devastated. My mom and dad had me at 40 and 47. You could always adopt humans or more dogs. Even be a foster parent maybe. :]"
9."We’re dinks! Dual income, no kids! It’s funny because on my and my husband’s fifth wedding anniversary, we opened a box from our ceremony where we wrote letters to each other that were sealed away for years. I said in my letter I’d have had a baby with him by now. We both laugh into our champagne. [sigh]"
"Still happily childfree. I’ve often pondered how parenthood would go for me, and there was always the chance that it could happen or it wouldn’t, and neither outcome would bother me. By now, nearing 33, I am happy to say we shall remain childfree. He feels the same way."
10."I've been with my partner for 15 years and we both have other goals. We were both teachers for a while, and we agree that kids can be fun, but we don't want them living with us."
"Been with my partner for a decade, and we wanted kids earlier on, but felt like we just enjoy watching our baby nieces and nephews. Just having our niece/nephew over for the weekend, the house is trashed in one day. Also, thinking about the headaches when they grow up, didn’t seem like something we wanted to do."
11."I'm a 36-year-old married F, and I have no desire to have kids. If finances permit, I would love to foster and/or adopt someday."
"I’m in the same boat as you I have firmly decided I never want to be pregnant and if I am interested in parenthood someday, I would go the foster or adoption route."
12."Got the snip in 2017. I'm 33 now, and I still have no regrets. I don’t mind kids, but it’s just not for me. It's ironic because I’m told all the time I’d make a great parent, but not by people who really know my tendency to anger and impatience because I have worked on it a lot. I imagine having a kid would break me, and I don’t know how I’d react so it’s irresponsible to have a kid."
13."I'm a 32F and childfree. I have multiple friends with kids, I'm a godparent, and for eight years, I was a stepparent with my ex-husband. I've never wanted kids at any point or age, and I don't see that changing at all. I'm currently living the dual income, no kids lifestyle with my partner."
14."I'm 38 here, and my wife is 37. We tried and couldn't, so it wasn't much of a choice for us. That being said, we've accepted the dink life and are enjoying the benefits of guaranteed silence whenever we choose it."
15."Turning 35 this year, married, and childfree. There are rare days that I wonder if I’m missing out, and then I see our friends and family with theirs. That effectively cements my childfree status. I was 'parentified' as a child, and honestly, I would rather regret not having kids than regret having them."
"We have two kids, but I have a suggestion from friends who don't. If no one in your immediate family has kids (you’re not an aunt, uncle, or older cousin), plan a party with fellow non-parents on Christmas Day. It seems to the day the 'I wish I had kids' feeling creeps in even if the other 364 you are completely ambivalent. We had kids slightly older than many, so we have experience with both situations."
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
