Do you know anyone who has chosen to not have children and have regretted

[RB TexLa]

it?

[Protagoras]

1. no Children for us and married 15 years, happy as heck

and most of our friends have been married 10+ years and almost no children. All seem fine.

Also know plenty of people who do have children and while many are happy too...some aren't and it's much easier now for me to change my mind than it is for them to change theirs :P

[mnhtnbb]

2. Ask the reverse: anyone who's had children and regretted it?

You'll get a lot of yes answers, if people are honest. Having kids will change your life FOREVER. And it ain't all the sweetness and light of myth.

[RB TexLa]

4. They are never honest about that, they just make smartass remarks

about those who chose to not raise children.

[senseandsensibility]

24. I may be assuming more than you intend by your question

but you seem to be bothered by comments of others about your childlessness. It's none of their business, number one. Number two, what they think should not affect you when it comes to something so life altering and important as having a child. I am childless by choice, and while I can't say that I've NEVER regretted it, I am happy with my decision. The important thing is to listen to your own inner voice, and then to do what is right for YOU.:)

[RB TexLa]

26. not really, just made the poll after a number of polls popping up

about abortion and adoption there seems to be a cultural stereotype that all have children or have had to deal with having children and the decisions regarding them.

[Ariana Celeste]

15. I do.

And she takes it out on her SO. I don't think he even knows she feels that way. It's very sad.

As far as the OP's question; I know one childfree couple- my aunt and uncle- I have no idea if they regret it.... sometimes I wonder if it's the fact they have no kids (and maybe they can't have them? Who knows, they are very private people) that makes them such obsessive fundies who have to stick their noses in everybody else's business. Who knows.

My SO and I plan not to have kids... that may change 10 yrs down the road, but as it stands.... we don't want 'em.

[Ezlivin]

3. We're childless and blissfully happy

Our friends with children regale us with their personal horror stories.

Honestly I do not know how I could survive on a disability pension if I had children. It's hard enough to afford a pair of cats.

My "girls"....

[superconnected]

16. Beautiful girls! Thanks for sharing their pics!

I save cats. I get accused of being a cat rescuer because I haven't had kids yet and yearn for them.

I don't yearn for kids. I had strong feelings for saving animals since I was a small child.

[ChiciB1]

27. Well... Since We Went Here... I Have To Say... We Spayed Our

registered and very very special chocolate labrador retriever and now I wish we hadn't!

Most vets and many many dog books recommend this because of the possibility of breast cancer in later life. This is the reason we had her fixed, but she has turned out to be the "best" dog we ever had! Her name is Shawnee, after the Shawnee Indians and even though she's not even 2 yet I worry about just how hard it will be if something should happen to her! We've had some wonderful dogs and cried when we had to put them down, but this one is really going to hurt. It would make it easier if we had one of her "little ones" as a reminder.

But maybe she'll be around longer because we did have her fixed. It's a hard call!

BTW, I already had a pair of children... was lucky to have one of each and didn't have to "do it again!"

[SteppingRazor]

5. I know two middle-age couples with no kids...

both couples are deliriously happy, still like high-school sweethearts.

[azmouse]

6. No kids and no regrets.

I didn't want children when I was in my 20s. I tried to have a baby in my 30s but only got pregnant once and miscarried at 8 wks. I would have liked that baby but I have no regrets whatsoever about not trying sooner and not using more aggressive methods to try to conceive. I have a wonderful life with my husband of 19 yrs and wouldn't change a thing!

[BooScout]

7. Childless by choice & happy here. n/t

[SmokingJacket]

8. People should probably only have kids if they're desperate for them.

I know I was -- it was some kind of biological drive. I still feel it, and I have to constantly remind myself about overpopulation, or I'd have a dozen. And even if my kids turned out to be no good (they're great kids) I wouldn't regret it because I know that if I didn't have them, I'd still be longing for them.

But I know tons of extremely happy childless couples, and I envy them in many, many ways.

The only regretful childless person I've ever known is my aunt, who had a botched, pre-Roe vs Wade abortion and couldn't have them.

[RB TexLa]

9. the term is childfree, not childless

[SmokingJacket]

12. Childfree is a positive term, and childless is neutral, imho.

Child-bereft is negative!

[blonndee]

10. My aunt and uncle, married about 25 years, never wanted

children, ever, and never had them. They seem very happy with their lives.

Oh, and, me. I've never wanted children and so far haven't regretted not having them. I can't imagine a situation that would change my feelings about this.

[azmouse]

11. It's only recently women could even admit not wanting kids.

We can be thankful for the birth control available to us now because not too long ago we wouldn't have had any choice of whether to be mothers or not.
I hope the choice will always be available to women and that is why we need to get and keep Dems in power. I don't trust the Reps at all to protect our reproductive choices.

[blonndee]

17. Oh, not at all. They'd have us in burqas, I believe, if they could.

As far as the recent thing, I guess you're right. It's hard for me to imagine a time that it would be shameful to admit not wanting kids, because I've never been ashamed of it. A few people kept telling me I'd change my mind, but I knew better. And so did my parents, thank goodness! They've never been ones to put pressure on me to marry or have kids or anything. Both I and my brother are single and childfree, at 31 and 29 years of age. It's just never been a big deal, thank goodness! :)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. No kids, just a loving husband

I was married when I was 38, and considering family health history and my age, didn't think it was a wise thing to have a child. My husband, who has been married before, has two children by his first marriage, and, at the time, was paying child support for them. Neither of us has regretted our choice not to have children.

[smokey nj]

14. My husband and I are happily childless.

[Hekate]

18. One. A woman who was a young-married in WW I. The world looked too awful

... to be bringing children into it, so she and her husband decided they wouldn't. When I met her, I was a college student and she was an old woman looking back -- civilization in the US had not collapsed after all, and although her life had been fine otherwise, she had a lingering regret about not having had children of her own.

It's different when you have a choice. Infertility -- the inability to have children when you want them -- can be tragic. Deliberately choosing not to can be empowering, and opens a world of other choices.

Hekate

[distantearlywarning]

19. My husband and I are also childfree by choice

He got neutered while we were still dating. I've never had the child urge, and in fact strongly dislike children of inattentive parents (i.e., what seems like half the children in the US today).

We are very happy with our two cats. I have no regrets whatsoever, and don't anticipate suddenly developing a ticking biological clock in my few remaining fertile years.

[loves_dulcinea]

20. i'm a (mid forties) divorced man

who is amazingly grateful to have not procreated. having been a resented child, i chose this path while in adolesence and have never looked back. i too, prefer the company of cats to that of children. best regards to you all.

[Evoman]

21. Me and my gf are talking about it every now and then

Whereas I am ambivalent about having children (I could easily live without them, but I also think it would be neat to have them), she doesn't quite know what she wants. The thing is...both of us are just finishing school...we both want to work, make some money, and then do a lot of traveling. Its something we both agreed you can't do with kids...not if you want to have a good time. We could do it after retirement, but we both want to be young and vital when we do our adventuring. Lol...maybe do it before the rapture, or before the world falls completely apart! On the other hand, she really loves kids (her nephews are great, and she likes being around them) and wants some rugrats of her own. But I think that she feels like she is too selfish to have kids (i.e. she doesn't want to sacrifice a career or having the freedom to do what she wants).

I've had also had some issues to work out....EVERY single marriage in my family has ended in divorce but one, and I know that it hasn't given me the rosiest picture of marriage and family. I've worked out most of that stuff...now the only thing that makes me scared of having kids is the fact that I'm an etomophobic (fear of puke) and I hate body fluids.

[RB TexLa]

23. my wife had no say in it, I was snipped and clipped a long time ago n/t

[Selatius]

22. There are too many people on the planet anyway

I don't really see myself having children either. I may adopt, but that's for another discussion.

[calico1]

25. Another childfree by choice person here.

I am 48 and have never regretted not having kids. The older I get the more sure I am I made the right choice. Besides, I've got bunches of the 4 legged variety!