Married childless couples

I believe couples can have a happy and fulfilling relationship without children. I also believe someone can have a happy and fulfilled life without a partner or a child. Doing anything because others think you should or they do not approve of your choices is not living your life. It is living theirs. I didn’t want children. My sister in laws were always admonishing me or criticizing me for not wanting children. I would not have had my daughter except for becoming pregnant while on birth control. As soon as I knew I was pregnant I knew I would keep the baby. Since I was a teen and became sexually active I knew this was a risk and I accepted that risk. I would not have chosen the man who fathered her if I had wanted a child. It happened. My daughter knows all of this. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. I became pregnant on my 42nd birthday in June and she was born in March the following year. I loved being pregnant even though my hips ached the last month and it was difficult to get comfortable. Her birth was hard since I had scar tissue on my cervix from a procedure done to detect if I had cancer. I was in labor from Sunday morning until 6:30am Tuesday when she was finally born face up naturally. I loved breastfeeding her and caring for her. I do miss it but she is now 20 and dealing with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. She is a brilliant young lady but her anxiety and panic attacks are debilitating and it has taken from 7th grade until now to get a doctor to listen and try to help and get a psychiatrist. Would I have still not wanted children knowing my experience with her? Yes. Because she and others like her are dealing with a world that is becoming more and more antisocial, selfish and abuse in the workplace is more common than she or I want to admit. I wouldn’t subject this world on an innocent child or on an adult who is loving and kind and seeks the same in return. My experience has shown me it is rare to find. If you want a child, do so for the right reasons. Don’t do it because family, religion or society says you should. Do it because you have a loving relationship with someone and you have no doubts they will be there to help. Raising a child isn’t easy. Doing so as a single parent is beyond difficult. Doing so without a good financial foundation is even harder. I can’t provide a college education for my daughter. Most businesses want to see a college degree on an application which is ridiculous. I could go on and on as you can imagine. Deeply consider what you really want and if you can provide a good start for a child if you decide that is what you want. And consider your impression of this world and the direction it is going. Make your own informed decision and if the others don’t like it that is their problem not yours.