This has been an interesting post to read. Its kinda funny... I have never really agonized over my absolute non-desire to have a child...but reading these posts makes me now agonize about not agonizing over it! :)
My Mother had me at a first marriage then she remarried when I was 6, then had children when I was 7, 9, and 11, the last set twins... so I had a set of 4 children running behind me, like a nightmare my whole childhood... I helped her raise them being the oldest by a large margin. I never had ANY delusions about what child rearing meant. My step father was abusive, alcoholic, we were poor. I guess that to me having children equated to hardship, unhappiness, being tethered, lack of options, poverty, saddness... endless diapers and puking and laundry and tater tots... it never had ANY positive connotations to me. I knew I would never want children. That feeling has never changed.
I know that it is a good probability that I feel this way because I was so completely overwhelmed with kids during my own childhood but I dont know if thats the case either. I just dont really have an instinct for giving birth and having an infant tethered to me. I have always felt 100% comfortable with this knowledge as much as I know that I am right handed. I have never had any what if questions. I have seen to many people unhappy with kids to know that there are so many horrible things that can happen in life no matter what. So I am just going to do what is right for me and never let "fear of the unknown" dictate those choices. Have the couples we see arguing, our friends are those people who thought to themselves, "if i dont marry him/her i will be alone. if i dont have baby i will be alone and then what?" despite what our gut is telling us...
