The No-Baby Boom

our life is very good without children..with children...i doubt we could have traveled as much as we have if we had chidlren.
we were never lectured from older ppl who say (you dont know what you are missing) we know exactly what we are missing..its just not worth all that..id rather be called selfish than dad.
and we are not selfish either.not selfish to each other.
years ago whne our friends were having kids all i remember is what a pain it must be to load up a kid to go somewhere out for the evening...then then kid starts to act up. fussing and crying...no thanks to that crap.

Take it from a soon to be 64 year old single, black female with no children...HAVE KIDS WHILE YOU CAN! I don't have many regrets about how I've lived my life - but not having children is the one decision I'd give anything to take back. When others are talking about their kids and grands and showing pictures, I sometime wonder what my offsprings would have looked like...what they would have achieved in their lives...who they would have married...what their children would have looked like. Mostly..I just excuse myself from the conversation and take a bathroom break. Once you're out of the workforce, have bought and owned all kinds of things that you thought were important, and done all the important things with all that extra time that you don't have to waste on kids, you will discover that all that stuff that you spent your life on really has very little lasting value. The work achievements: 10 years later, who cares? (one of the saddest thing I've seen in a Goodwill store was a 20-year old "Top Achiever" trophy); the cars, clothes, furniture even houses...go out of style and eventually becomes junk. In your later years, you will be faced with spending the rest of your life in a world that becomes pretty small day by day--- without that extension of life ... future generations. When God said be fruitful and multiply - He knew what he was talking about. No matter what you achieve or acquire in your lifetime becomes junk, waste, insignificant in the end. 'Multiplying' will give your life real meaning. Your kids will be your only lasting/living legacy and greatest accomplishment. Sign me Carolyn 1.0.

I usually don't comment on these kinds of articles, but I just have to put my two cents in. So, what happens to the people without children when they are old and dying? Who will be there with them to comfort them when a spouse passes? Who will care for them or make sure someone else is caring for them if a stroke leaves them unable to wash themselves? It just seems pretty sad to be alone at the end of life. One may have regrets, you know? And, another point, what a selfish perspective on life... "I don't want kids because it is going to put a crimp in my style" really, ask almost anyone who has kids and they will tell you that their babies have brought so much joy. You are really missing out.

Ok, but if we don't have kiddos.... who is going to push our wheelchairs? Paid employees? Good Luck.... Also people without kids never learn to put others before themselves, they are selfish and inmature.... I see parents doing heroic sacrificies for their families motivated by pure love and not the me, me, me, mentality of those so called double-income-no-kids selfish cowards....yes cowards, full of fear a lack of confidence because they beleive the stupid articles they read and buy the lies....how pitiful....have faith...don't let these articles steal your chance to become parents....you can only do it while you are young....you will regret it when you are old and then it will be too late!

it sad how selfish the people are, who dont want children for monetary and convenience reasons. i wish their parents would have done the same to them, then they wouldn't be here.

It seems that many of the comments on here from the die hard fans on both sides of the fence echo two things to me. Selfish and narrow minded.

Yeah Nicolle, you'll be leaving a little of you in the world when you are gone. Sad part is the world will probably be MUCH different when he grows up, and not for the better.

We have enough children already in this hellhole of a world. That's all I really care to say on this matter.

Sad how those without children (for whatever reason) feel the need to punish those of us who do by denying promotions or firing us on a whim... complain and want to ban children from EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE. If you don't want kids... fine by me, but don't take it out on those of us who DO want children or have them. I wouldn't trade my little boys hugs and kisses or his wonderful antics, he may be work but he's the best thing I've ever had in my life (next to my husband) and will leave a little bit of me in the world when I'm gone. Money comes and goes but true immortality lies in the hearts of our children and their children.

Being a mom is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't trade my bundle of joy for all the economic advantages out there. Nothing has brought me more joy, happiness and satisfaction then being a parent. I am glad I didn't opt out without ever trying it.

A lot of comments are saying that those who choose to be childfree are selfish but I think creating a new person just to take care of you or keep you company in old age is the epitome of selfish.

I'm 54 and don't have children. Frankly, I'm not real happy about that.

Obviously, the issue of race was too painful for this author to expose. The truth is those couples going without children are White. The United States will rapidly fall to native and immigrant Hispanics who still practice Machismo and make babies indiscriminately.

Dubs, believe me, I've been on the receiving end of jealousy more than a few times in my life. Oftentimes those who are openly jealous are the women in my age group (I'm 43) who got married right out of high school because they were pregnant as teens, had to get a "shotgun wedding." Or. they never went to college (most of them are uneducated past high school years), got married, started making babies at the age of 16. At any rate, much of it has to do with the concept of "living up to society's expectations" of women. In 2011 C.E., the idea that women just might have the right to take control over their own lives (and yes, it is in our Constitution!) and not have to crank out babies if they do not want to.

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I did not want children, my wife wanted 8, we had 3 and adopted 1.
We now have 13 grandchildren, I love all of them but the finincial drain has been and continues to wreck havoc.
At 63 we have no free time, due to the economy we support 3 families, with 5-8 of them living with us at various times, never a "empty nest".
If I had it all to do over again, no children!

This is what I'm gathering from the anti-childless people :

1) Not having children is selfish.

2) Having children guarantees personal slaves for life. They'll "take care" of you and "push you in your wheelchair" and "pay your SSI" etc.etc.

Maybe I should rethink this. I'd love to have someone there at my beck and call and use the old "I gave birth to you!!!" guilt trip to get what I want. They will do as I say and when I tell them to do it, even after they are adults. I will expect them to give up part of their lives as well, forget that vacation with their families, because I NEED THEM to do things for me. After all, that's why I had them.

And if they don't, well they're just SELFISH!!

Kids are hard...they ruin your routine...they cost money...they interrupt your sex life (which is how they got here :) )...they need to be fed, played with, cleaned up after (everything a dog needs), taught life skills, values, how to handle their emotions...so many things constantly all day long...it can be tough and exhausting.

But it can also be rewarding and refreshing...like seeing a butterfly for the first time again through your 1 yr old's eyes, watching them discover the world around them is like discovering it again for yourself...having them give you a hug and say "Mommy, you're pretty!" melts your heart like nothing else...seeing them say 'please' and 'thank you' to grandma without being coerced gives such a satisfaction that 'yes, my constant instruction is paying off'....so many things make kids worth much more than the cost or inconvenience.

Believe me, I was not a baby person, or someone who grew up hoping just to be a mom one day. It took awhile to say yes I was ready to have a kid. And even then I was still a bit unsure all the way until delivery. Sometimes I wish I could run away from the kids for awhile. But I would never want to change the way things are...the fullness of life and joy that my kids bring. (And hopefully one day grandkids will be added to my life :) ). They make me a better person (if I am willing to grow and learn myself) and they make our world a little larger - not smaller.

Oh, and Mom, thank you for choosing to have me!

Far and away the best investment that any man can make is to have a vasctomy.

Neither my husband nor I want kids- the world is in sad shape and only going to get worse and the thought of having a child grow up in such a declining world is heartless. People aren't thinking what their kids future is going to entail, and that's being selfish. Why would you want your kids' to suffer?
Everyone is right in saying it is the uneducated having kids- the population is not getting smarter, just lazier and dumber. I also think someone forgot to tell Hollywood about the no-baby boom- seems someone famous is popping one out every day! Give it a rest already!