15+ People Who Were Totally Honest About Why They Want to Be Child-Free

Each of us decides for ourselves whether to have children or not. While some of us are ready to radically change our lifestyle for the sake of having a baby and taking care of a child until they come of age, others can honestly say, “I choose to remain child-free.”

At CHEERY, we came across a Reddit discussion where people shared their honest opinions why they don’t want to have children. We believe that everyone is free to make their own choice.

• “I work fulltime in a crèche. There’s no way I’m spending 9 to 6 with children and then coming home to more children. Nope.” © oldshanshan / Reddit
• “I once got into a rather heated argument with a girl for saying I didn’t want kids. She called me selfish for not wanting to spend my time or money on a kid. So, I explained my choice to her as follows: which percentage out of all the people you know are not really decent people? Realise all these people are someone’s kid and that despite your best efforts as a parent you have no guarantee your kid will not be one of them. I then asked if she would have wanted to have me as a kid and she laughed and said she didn’t.” © norris63 / Reddit
• “I’m 47, married, no kids. My life is amazing. Out of all my friends who have kids ranging from 3 years to 24, my wife and I have the least amount of stress. So many of them are divorced with complicated child visit schedules. So many of them can’t take vacations and do things they want to do. We have enough money to do what we want, live where we want, travel when we want, drive nice cars, go to nice restaurants, etc.” © Raspberries-Are-*** / Reddit

• “If you tell your friends you’re considering buying a sports car, you’ll get questions like: ’Are you sure you can afford it?’ And if you answer with ’I just want to, just because,’ you’re immature and you’re making a bad financial decision. Somehow it’s not okay to ask a question like, ’Are you sure you’ll be a good parent?’ Somehow buying a sports car needs to be thought out more carefully than bringing another human into the world.” © Corvus_Manufaktura / Reddit
• “I like to say, ’I like to play with children, but I like to return them to their rightful owners even more.’ I don’t know how parents do it. You have to entertain them. I get bored and impatient after a few hours.” © Canuck_Loonie / Reddit
• “I live in a one bedroom apartment, and my neighbors upstairs (also a one bedroom apartment) have 4 children, one of whom is a new baby. I understand not everyone can afford a house or even a 2 bedroom apartment, but I feel like cramming this many people into a one bedroom apartment should be illegal, and it’s not right for the kids. Don’t reproduce if you can’t afford more space.” © howdoufeelaboutsnail / Reddit
• “We have white furniture.” © fourchimney / Reddit
  “Yeah, kids take that as a challenge.” © tywin_with_*** / Reddit

• “Just the thought of something growing inside of me, morphing my body beyond my control and then violently tearing its way out, is something that very much lives in my worst nightmares. I have nothing but respect for women who choose to put themselves through that, but it’s going be a hard pass for me.” © ankhes / Reddit
• “I really don’t want to be a parent, and I feel like that should at the very least be a prerequisite to having them. My grandmother didn’t seem to enjoy parenthood, my mom certainly didn’t. They did it because they were ’supposed to.’ I’m breaking the cycle.” © theredheaddiva / Reddit
• “I’m a woman and I’ll be 40 next year, so too late for me anyway. But I never had the desire either. Except for a brief 30 seconds while watching some cute Disney movie with my husband. I blurted, ’Aww, we should have a baby.’ Then I realized (luckily) he’d fallen asleep. But literally not a minute had passed before I thought, ’No, that would be dumb.’ ” © rachelface927 / Reddit

• “Everything about pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum life just sounds terrifying. Oh, I may experience wild hormonal swings that make me feel crazy. I may lose teeth because of my body prioritizing nutrition to the fetus. I will probably always pee myself a little when I run, laugh, or sneeze. I won’t be able to take certain medication for the 2 years that pediatricians recommend nursing. I won’t be able to eat deli meat, sushi, large fish, or coffee for a year minimum. I’ll spontaneously leak milk from my boobs if I hear a baby crying.” © snpods / Reddit
• “I told my sister a few years ago that I don’t want kids because I’m too selfish. I like my freedom, my peace and quiet, my life with just me and my husband where money is still sometimes tight but it’s just us. She told me that was the most unselfish thing she’d ever heard. ’Imagine if you bowed to peer and family pressure and had a kid you didn’t want. Knowing yourself enough to not put you or your hypothetical child in that situation is incredibly smart and not at all selfish.’ ” © tryhonesty326 / Reddit
• “Things are getting better for me and my spouse, but having a baby and needing to take off months of work would set us back horribly. Maybe when we’re ready we’ll look at fostering older kids instead, there are plenty who need loving families if we get to a spot where we can be one.” © agent_raconteur / Reddit
• “I am a teacher. The vast majority of parents I meet complain about having children and how much of a struggle it is, how expensive it is, how they get no sleep, no free time, etc. Then, they usually realize they can’t be seen to complain about having children and finish their complaints by saying, ’But it’s the best thing I ever did.’ This part always feels like the least genuine bit and everything before feels like the truth. Furthermore, one of my best friends has a child and spoke candidly about it, saying, ’I love him to bits but wish I hadn’t have had a kid.’ ” © TheHawk17 / Reddit

• “I’m a huge introvert and can’t possibly imagine having a child in my house 24/7 and also being responsible for said child. I go crazy when I don’t get alone time from my husband in a while.” © Defiant_Bumblebee_40 / Reddit
• “I don’t have the patience to be a good mother. I don’t have the skills. As a child, I ended up in the foster care system. I never ever had a sane and stable guardian, so what skills could I bring? Also, it takes 2 to make a baby, and I’ve never met a man I want to deal with for the rest of my life. Besides, I love to travel solo. I love to explore this world. I would not have the time, money, or ability to travel the way I want if I had a child.” © AhFFSImTooOldForThis / Reddit
• “When I imagine losing all of my identity and replacing it with a big ’Mama bear’ sticker, my stomach turns. There are some aspects of having a kid that are appealing: they’ll adore me, they might end up loving all the same music, movies, or hobbies as me, they’ll love and care for me when I’m old. But none of that is guaranteed and seems selfish and also not worth the gamble. Also, my family generally ignores me, but loses their minds around babies, and if that’s the only reason they would want to be in my life then no thanks.” © internet_poser / Reddit

Do you dream of having a big family, or are you comfortable living with just with your partner? Share your opinion in the comments below.