WE ARE CHILDFREE

I am a 35-year old police woman and happily married to a man I’ve been together with since I was 18.

And that’s the thing right – you have a long lasting stable relationship, you both have a good job and a house, you’re married – everyone, I mean everyone, expects you to move on to the next step. When everyone around us started having babies, my mother-in-law subtly started dropping baby names and we thought this was the way to go.

Until I realised during a beautiful trip abroad that I didn’t want this kind of responsibility, nor to put my life on hold like that. I love the life I’m living, I enjoy spending my time how I feel like spending it, and my husband and I are very happy being able to do what we want, when we want it.

We enjoy each other’s company but also like spending time apart, alone or with friends. We love to do spontaneous trips, travel the world and visit friends and family whenever we feel like it, but most of all… the peace and quiet of our home. Luckily my husband felt the exact same way!

Last year we did add a new family member: our German Shepherd Otis and we love him to pieces. But that’s as far our responsibility of taking care of someone will ever get.

“Who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?” That’s a question I often get. If that’s the only reason why one should put a child onto this world, one is far more selfish (and stupid I might add) than all couples the Pope said they are if they stayed childfree. Plus, there’s absolutely no guarantee your child will stay in contact with you for the rest of its life. I see a lot of elderly people in my job who die all alone, or when still alive their children do not even bother to visit them.

I’ll live my life to the fullest and I would be happy if I didn’t have to explain/defend myself every single time I meet someone. You cannot miss what you have never known.

I’ll settle for the crazy aunt duties. I’m more than happy to play with kids, just not mine…