16 Childfree People Over 40 Shared How They Feel About Not Having Kids

Voluntary childlessness is a lifestyle that not everyone can understand and accept. But according to statistics, more and more people choose to be childfree today. In the USA, for example, 29% of married couples were childless in 2012, but this number increased to 57% in 2022. Unfortunately, there is no data about whether people tend to change their views with age. This is why we’ve put together the opinions of those who chose not bring new people into this world many years ago.

• I have mixed feelings. I don’t care much for children and I think it would have been disastrous for us to have them. I was also able to retire at 52. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have happened with kids. So yeah, absolutely the right decision. But I love my family and I do wonder what it would be like to have my own, to teach my child the things I know and not to be without someone who cares about me at the time of my death. But again, absolutely the right decision, and at 55 I’m very happy not to have them. This is reinforced every time I’m exposed to other people’s kids. © ProfessorOzone / Reddit
• I’m 59 and I don’t regret being childfree for one second. Not having children has enhanced our lives. © Donna Lauri Daniels / Facebook
• I’m 44, childless and single. I’ve never actively wanted children, but the grief of realizing I’d never have a child, or know the love I’d experience with a child hit me around 5 years ago. It was overwhelming. It’s something I struggle to talk to friends about. © wilhelmina3000 / Twitter

• I’m 42 and met my partner at 39. Before I met him I was okay with not having kids. My partner was pretty sure he didn’t want kids either (it was a discussion point early on for us). Then right before turning 41, I had a big wave of emotions come up as it felt like that window was closing for good. We discussed it again and ultimately came to the same conclusion. And I did grieve, and even though I still choose not to go down that route, occasionally I wonder. With that, I love my life, feel fulfilled, and appreciate that I can share my time with people in ways that most parents are unable to do. © DkotaGirl / Twitter
• I am almost 63, and occasionally I regret not having kids. My parents are wonderful, and I certainly don’t blame their example for not having children of my own. It was probably my experiences as a student teacher that decided me against having kids. © James Cohn / Quora
• I’m 57 and do not regret being childfree. My husband thought he wanted kids when we were in our early years together, but now he is very happy as well that we never had any. It allowed us to lead a more free, peaceful, and debt-free life. The flexibility to make life choices we couldn’t otherwise make is so much better. © DerHoggenCatten / Reddit

• I’m 49. No kids. I can travel on a whim and whatever money I earn is entirely mine. I go where I want when I want. I have not had a single regret up to this point in my life about not having kids. I have nieces. One hour with them and I’m good until the following Christmas. © echoesofsavages / Reddit
• There are times when I regret not having children of my own, but on reflection I always realize that I am happy being a “child” who never grew up, so I would not have been a good parent. © Jane Leavell / Quora
• I’m a 55-year-old woman and have never wanted children. I just don’t much like them, and 20+ years of motherhood sounded (and still sounds) like a prison sentence. I’m maternal when it comes to cats and dogs, but small humans? No chance. And I’m very happy to be childless. I can’t imagine my life any other way. © GrowlKitty / Reddit

• At 79, I have no regrets. I decided as a teenager I wanted no children. Then, and never since, have I had the stability of either lifestyle or relationships that would be conducive to raising children. And at last I can say: mission accomplished! No kids in my life. Except the kids in my classrooms. And I wouldn’t trade anything for my experience with their clamoring minds to learn more and more. © Gloria Cole / Quora
• Sometimes I do regret not having kids of my own. I’m married for 31 years. Earlier I never felt that something is missing in my life, being very busy in life, we both were working, from morning to evening, didn’t have time to think much on this issue. But now, sometimes I feel there should be someone with us. © Seema Sharma Dhakal / Quora
• I’m 60. It’s even better! It only gets better. No regrets, no expectations. My life is mine. Love every minute of being childfree! No one is going to stick me where I don’t want to go or take my checkbook away for buying stuff the kids don’t approve of. © EllisGBS / Twitter
• I’m 43, happily married for 16 years and never wanted kids. My 2 rescued greyhounds seem to absorb all my maternal instincts. © CrouseYahoo / Twitter

• I am 73 and have never regretted not having children. I had other ambitions which I pursued and I have enjoyed a full and happy life. My only regret is that I had to part with the love of my life because she did want children and I knew I could not deny her that. © Robert Alton / Quora
• As a 40-year-old man that has always stated that I don’t want kids myself, I’ve had more than a handful people respond with “Well you’d be a bad father anyway.” That was always one thing that bothered me. I know I wouldn’t. I’d be great, if I wanted kids. I just have no interest in my own. © Scott Allen Batzkall / Facebook
• I’m in my sixties now and I regretted being childfree for about 5 minutes when I was 38. That’s when my first niece was born and I thought I might be missing out. © Mysterious-Region640 / Reddit
  

Everyone decides for themselves whether they want to have children or not. We hope that everyone can learn to respect each other’s choices so we can celebrate our differences!