WE ARE CHILDFREE

I am living my best life in my forties, a senior software developer, belly dancer, and costumer, and about to be married to my soul mate in a week and a half.

I have never liked children. I didn’t like baby dolls when I was young – I preferred Legos and action figures. I have heard all my life that I’ll change my mind about having kids, and in my teenage years and twenties, I believed them. However, I had married a man who was a terrible father to his child with his first wife, and I did not want kids with him.

By my late twenties, I was pretty sure that kids just weren’t for me. I loved my cat, my career in software, and my free time to create costumes and dance. That relationship ended after a few years – among many other things, that momma’s boy was pressuring my to have his babies and I wanted no part of it.

My mother has always been supportive of my choices. She has been firm about only having children if I really, really wanted them. And I just don’t. I don’t want the mess, sleepless nights, or the hassle of raising humans to be contributing members of society. I don’t like to spend time with children. I don’t think they are particularly cute or funny. I will go absolutely bonkers for the homeliest puppy or kitten, but babies do nothing for me. I’m glad that I listened to my gut and stuck with critters.

My partner and I both agree that we are dog and cat people. We travel the world whenever we can, play video games, stay up late drinking and listening to music, whatever we want! We are both on track for an early retirement, and I’m taking my love of dance to the next level by doing paid gigs in restaurants. I’ve been able to buy a property nearby and build an ADU for my mom’s retirement so that she can be close by. Life is wonderful.