WE ARE CHILDFREE

For as long as I can remember, I never really wanted to have children but assumed it would, as they say, “come in time”.

As a kid, I loved stuffed animals but not dolls. I liked making barbies do wild raunchy stuff (lol) but didn’t like playing mom or family.

In my 20s, I thought, “No need to worry, I’ll make a decision in my 30s. It’ll come to me.”

Meanwhile, most of my female friends talked of this yearning for a baby. Wanting it so badly. The idea of carrying, birthing, and then caring for a child never felt like a desired path for me.

I’ve struggled with allowing myself to feel this way because women are always deemed as naturally inclined to want children.

I’m 36 now (and working as a full-time artist) and learning to accept how I feel. I’m fortunate to not feel pressure from my family but societally, the pressure is enormous. I feel completely content in my life without the pursuit of having kids. One of the trickiest things is finding others who share this feeling. We are most certainly outnumbered.