It is quite widely accepted that nearly everyone must have children during their lifetimes. However, not everyone agrees with this statement. Some people choose to never have children and are happy with their choice. Reasons for it can vary from financial or medical reasons to the inability to find a partner or even the state of the world and/or climate change.Just like the reasons for a child-free lifestyle, there are many advantages and disadvantages to that kind of choice. Recently, Reddit user /No_Edu1998 went to the r/AskReddit community to ask about those disadvantages. And people did not hold back with their answers.More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.
It is quite widely accepted that nearly everyone must have children during their lifetimes. However, not everyone agrees with this statement. Some people choose to never have children and are happy with their choice. Reasons for it can vary from financial or medical reasons to the inability to find a partner or even the state of the world and/or climate change.
Just like the reasons for a child-free lifestyle, there are many advantages and disadvantages to that kind of choice. Recently, Reddit user /No_Edu1998 went to the r/AskReddit community to ask about those disadvantages. And people did not hold back with their answers.
More info:Reddit
This post may includeaffiliate links.
No one to avenge your death
Well I’m in my 60s and I don’t have kids. The down-side is now I don’t have any family, I’m the last one left.
I don’t get anything for taxes like the people with kids do.I can’t get food stamps.If I need help with a bill, the community center won’t help me because I don’t have kids.Being told somethings wrong with you for not having them yet.
People keep asking you when you’re going to have kids.Heck! My husband and I are in our 40s/50s with 7 adult kids between the two of us, and people STILL ask if we’re going to have more children!!!People need to stop asking other people about their reproductive goals.
My work makes me not only work more hours, but they also ‘make’ me work the hours no one else can work because they have kids.Like later shifts and overnights. Also during Covid, people with kids could 100% telework and most still do partially. Since I don’t have kids I had and still have to come into the office every single day, no exceptions. When others with kids ask for vacations days, they always get priority, even if I asked and got it approved first.I’ve told my work NO more then once and they are shocked when I remind them that just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I don’t have a life outside work.
Lack of cheap unreliable labor.
Having too much money and free time.
You have fewer excuses to use to call off of work.
I think it’s best to frame having kids as going on an epic life-changing adventure. There will be glory and wonder and there will be horrors. The highs will take you higher than you ever thought possible but man are those lows low.So Con: you’ll miss out on this epic adventure.BUT there are other paths to other adventures, ones with their own excitement and peril. Or maybe you’re more of the “stay in the Shire” type. That’s fine too.
Having to listen to all the parents tell you what a joy raising a family is
According to Reddit there are none. Having kids is a drain on your finances, your personal wellbeing, and ruins the planet.I had one because I thought we could provide a loving, stable home to raise someone who could be a productive member of the next generation of people. It’s also fun to pass down traditions such as dressing up and trick or treating for Halloween, drinking out of the hose in summer, that the proper way to eat ice cream is with sprinkles. I knew I would miss out on that if I didn’t, it’s sort of intangible and lots of people on here would say it’s not worth it. I don’t expect them to take care of me when I’m old, but I’d be honoured to still be a part of their life when they are an adult.
I’m having medical emergencies in my 40s and still need my 70 year old parents to bring and take me to appointments.
Holidays are kinda depressing.I went to watch my nephews open gifts on Christmas morning then spent the rest of day changing exhaust manifold gaskets, oil change, and a tune up on my truck just because I had nothing going on.
As someone who’s not married and has no children: It would be nice to have a closely bonded group of relatives to come home to every day.
I’d say one con is that I since I don’t have to get up early on the weekends to shuttle kids to games and events, I sometimes sleep in later that I expected. You wake up, and you’ve missed breakfast at McD’s, and have to order from the lunch menu. No hashbrowns for you. It sucks.
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People with kids, will never stop treating you like you’re strange for not having them.
I work with older people mostly those with serious and complex medical problems. Very often the role of carer falls to the childless adult child. Due to the perception “they don’t have anyone else to take care of thus it’s their duty”.
Can’t really think of any except no one to take care of me if I do make it to that age, but that’s selfish AF anyway.
I am the estate executor for my uncle (aunt died 7 years ago and they had no kids), who died in January. Today I went down and signed the papers preliminary to close on his house, which we just sold a few weeks ago. Closing will be next week. After I signed the papers, I went over to the house which, over the last eight months my family and I have been slowly been emptying and working towards selling. I sat in that empty house and stared out at his property and got really really sad because, well, this is it.In 4 to 5 days, it will be like him, and my aunt will have their entire life erased from this earth. There’s nothing that they’ve passed on, or rather, I should say down to their children, other than mementos and things like that which we’ve all taken in the probate process. Also, of course we all have our wonderful memories with them and love them so much but the entire life that they’ve built together in that house over the last 30 years is about to be completely erased and I know that our buyers will make it into a wonderful home for themselves, but it just feels so odd like if we didn’t remember them it would be like their entire lives will be washed away.And I know having children wouldn’t necessarily always solve that problem but since none of us live near his property, and none of us can afford the property, no one can buy it and so it’s left to be sold and it just feels like if they had had children maybe they would’ve had someone directly to leave their house too, leave their life to, and our family in that spot could continue.So I guess long story short I kind of see that as a con to not having kids. My mother and father, myself, and brother will all remember my aunt and uncle and so will my first cousins but after we’re gone it feels like no one will remember them anymore….like they were never here.Idk just makes me sad
You have to laugh at your own farts.
I have no heirs for my fortune. I have to count on a gold digger wanting to inherit.
At the age now where my friends from high school are shipping their kids off to college and becoming late 30’s empty nesters. Basically regaining all of the perceived benefits of us childless folk, but with a whole adult offspring out in the world. That part seems pretty cool, but still no regrets on my end.
I would like to think that raising my own children I would be able to teach them kindness and acceptance to help rid the world of the stupidity that we can’t get over. I likely won’t have that chance at least on my own children, but planning to volunteer to maybe help others' children.
- You get excluded from friends events who have kids.2) Some special events like Christmas may get lonely as everyone is with their families.3) Less excuses to get off work. I have work colleagues that take off all the time as they have to watch their kids perform or look after their kids. I call b******t but nobody questions them. I don’t get time off to enjoy being single.4) People think there is something wrong with you. Nobody wants to have kids with you because you’re hiding a dark secret etc.5) People you may be somewhat close with assume you have excess money to spend on their kids.All I can think of, if the top of my head.
Having to pick up the dog s**t in the yard myself.
The constant thought of what could have been. Or, who they could have been.As a father of two, the largest surprise was the change in social life. We’ve made so many more friends since having them.
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