Pretty great. I have money and free time.
I have a lot of kids so I can't answer that question
but reddit asked it 2 days ago, word for word https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1gdm2wj/people_in_their_40s_and_50s_with_no_children_how/
I just think it's interesting to look at the difference in the user replies
Shout out to !childfree@lemmy.world
Edit: k, idk why you downvoted me, was trying to show you another sub with an audience directly for this question that you may want to also ask, but k go ahead and downvote me OP.
Didn’t downvote you but it’s probably bc Reddit’s original childfree subreddit is a special kind of toxic hellhole; even for Reddit… which is saying something.
Most of Reddit was a toxic hellhole. It's why I'm not on Reddit anymore.
I sort of see the appeal of having kids, but I can barely keep things together for myself. There's no way I can support myself and kids. Even with my boyfriends income and mine, it's just not realistic.
This is the key behind the fertility crisis of first world countries. SHITS TOO EXPENSIVE. A house is 10 years worth of income, college like 3 years worth, a car (which needs to be replaced every 5-10 years) around a years worth, plus food, bills, taxes and all of this other shit makes it impossible.
Yearly childcare is a years worth of income in plenty of places, so there's that too.
Not to that age yet, but I feel slightly envious of families that I see at downhill mountain bike parks or camping or sledding. I want to have a family just like that someday :)
Just turned 50. Was childless by choice. But I Got custody of my 12 year old niece two years ago. (Very small family and There was no one else to take her.). I love her but I do miss my adult freedom.
My condolences on losing your sibling. Wonderful of you to take her in.
It’s good. Don’t have to worry about paying for any of it.
Elementary school
Middle school
High school
College
Helping out after they finish college and haven’t found a job
All the stuff during the summer
Not having to hear “ but why?!” Every ten seconds
Not having to worry about how they’ll survive in this fucked up world.
I wanted kids when I was younger, but wasn't ready to give up my freedom. Once I was ready for kids the world (and the future in particular) looks so bleak that it doesn't seem fair to the theoretical kiddo to say 'hey, here's a dumpster fire - good luck'. Instead I babysit for my friends and family, spoil the kids around me, and sleep in on the weekend. I also have more time for activism and trying to ensure a brighter future for kiddos.
No regrets.
Mixed, but mostly okay.
Pros: The world is massively overpopulated already. Our genes aren't particularly noteworthy. I'm not very optimistic about the future. People's happiness generally seems a lot less than it was when I was younger and I don't see that changing.
Cons: Not being able to pass anything on - my knowledge and experience, ironically much of which was gained through having time that would have been unavailable if I had had kids. As we both get older, our own care is concerning. Doing physical things around our smallholding is getting harder and a pair of young hands would be nice.
I don't begrudge other people having kids. We tried once but lost it and that kind of took the excitement out of it for us. Before we knew it, it was too late anyway.
You could look into some kind of work experience program or even troubled youth programs operating in your area that might be able to make use of your knowledge and your property?
We don't need kids to pass on what we know to the young :)
Not being able to pass anything on - my knowledge and experience
I know this may sound like satire but you can write a blog and share your knowledge and experiences. It may seem weird at first, but it's an actual option, and people could organically come across your blog, especially if you use the right keywords that they're looking for.
I'm not good around kids, so I made a decision to be without children pretty early on. So, to answer your question, I guess it feels... normal? It's hard to describe in more detail, because I don't have a reference to compare it to.
That said, I've seen what kind of struggles - emotional, financial or otherwise - my kid-having friends and family have been going through and I would be a liar if I said I never thought "I'm glad I don't have to go through this shit" more than on one occasion.
I'm glad I don't have to go through this shit
I've thought that so many times seeing people's children around me.
Honestly it kind of sucks.
I always wanted a kid but it requires a partner who is able to be a parent and I have never had such a partner.
I had a pretty fucked up childhood and I wanted someone who could be a good mother to a child and everyone I've dated who had the ability to be a good mother was not capable of giving birth for one reason or another and everyone I've dated who's capable of giving birth was not capable of being a good mother for one reason or another.
I know it's not too late for me but it's getting pretty damn close.
No ragrets.
no rugrats
Great!
Seriously like the most obvious fucking life hack.
Also, it's generally super weird how everyone tries really hard to convince you that you are wrong about it. Like I could take all of the collective time people have spent trying to give me unsolicited input on some other random topic, and it wouldn't even add up to a tenth of the time I've spent on the "why don't you want kids?" Conversation. I'm sorry but that's sus as fuck. Like some actual brain slug shit.
I have a kid. I love my kid. There's also a looooooooot more sacrifice involved than I was expecting.
Not so much the money, but time and effort. Today I wanted to leave the park and go the grocery store for ONE thing before dinner. Cue negotiations to leave the park. 10mons to walk 100 yards. Issues around refusing to use the toilet before we go (young kid and car rides). Not wanting to get out of the car at the store. I could go on. Everything is just a whole fucking ordeal. Pre kid I would have got in my car, gotten the item and come home. 15mins tops. This took 1.5hrs.
I love my kid. I'm glad we had a kid. But I do not see everyone being suited to being a parent. And no one should be forced or pressured to be one.
That's my personal opinion though.
As a parent, I couldn't give two shits if you don't have kids. Not gonna convince you. It's your story not mine.
You're also not going to convince me I made a poor decision.
Exactly, like if someone doesn't want kids I wouldn't want to be their child, let them not have them
it’s generally super weird how everyone tries really hard to convince you that you are wrong about it
My theory is that (volontary) childless people are less predictable to others. If you only have to take care of yourself, you need less resources (read: money) for that. An employer that knows his employee has children to care for can be treated worse in terms of working conditions and salary/ wages, because the employer knows that this employee can't afford to quit the job, because of the responsibility for the child(ren).
If an emloyee is known to have no children, it makes him unpredictable. He could get up after a good yelling at the workplace, say "fuck it" and leave. He only has to take care for himself. Also, that employee can accumulate more money since it has not to be spent on the needs of children. That means, the employee has a bigger and longer lasting financial cushion.
Something similar applies when credits/ loans have to be paid. Having debt is a considered a "good" thing, since people are less prone to quit their jobs. On a personal level, the goal should be to become debt free as soon as possible. Not only it will result in financial freedom, it will also enhance your "fuck-it-ablilty".
Another theory for those convincing people is that they envy your lifestyle of tranquility and spontaneousness. These people have been bullied into having children by their peer groups, because "that is the thing to do", and "you owe grandchildren". There are so many parents out there who would be better off if they never had children, but their relatives had convinced them otherwise.
Another theory is that people with children want you to have some, too, because they have no other topics available for discussion.
As a parent who doesn't try to convince childless people to have children... fair point.
I agree but not on the debt free part. Mortgage loan at 1,45%, savings rate at 2,4 %: I'll not try to get out of that debt sooner than planned, thank you very much :')
I love it but even in high school, I knew I didn’t want kids. People told me seeing my friends have kids would cause me to change my mind but it only reinforced my preference. Having kids is a huge amount of work and commitment (not to mention the expense). I love to travel and I’ve been able to go to places and do things you can’t (or just wouldn’t want to) do with kids. I also like that I was able to take risks with my career. It’s much easier to start a business or join an early stage company or whatever if you don’t need the stability kids need.
So, for me, it’s amazing. I feel for people who want kids but never had them, though. I know a few and they’re happy — freedom is a nice consolation prize — but it wasn’t their dream.
Great, for me. For others, I imagine it will depend on factors such as having a compatible partner in agreement.
Feels like the best decision I ever made.
Good, made a decision decades ago to have a vasectomy as there are way to many people in the world and misquoting Thoreau, what use a kid if no livable planet to raise them on ?
I always felt if the need to be a parent overwhelmed, I could adopt any number of abandoned kids.
I like kids but I'd fell way to guilty about having any. Not having them also let me retire at 35 and pursue my own interests, I'm now 58.
I'm in way over my head as it is. I can't even imagine what it would be like having to be responsible for some gremlins, as well. We do not even dare get a cat (or two - you should always get two so they're not lonely) for the same reason. Good thing my SO sees it exactly the same way. We're both glad we didn't have children.
Amazing. I'm not willing to exercise the permanent sacrifices that having kids entails.
I wish we had. I'm regretting it more as I get older.
What's the source of the regret? I just turned 30, and am still undecided.
I see what my friends have with their kids and grandkids now, and really wish I had people that care for me that much. Honestly, it's kinda gotten to where I don't want to go to events because it just reminds me of how that chance is lost now.
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