I noticed people here have LISTED “being alone” as a con to not having children. During the early 90s- 2005, my parents owned and ran a small residential facility that housed elderly residents, and I can assure you that a good portion of the elderly residents who had children were left at the facility during holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their children were too busy celebrating with their own FAMILIES and considered Mom/Dad to be an inconvenience at their festivities.

I noticed people here have listen “being alone” as a con to not having children. During the early 90s- 2005, my parents owned and ran a small residential facility that housed elderly residents, and I can assure you that a good portion of the elderly residents who had children were left at the facility during holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their children were too busy celebrating with their own facilities and considered Mom/Dad to be an inconvenience at their festivities. My own parents cooked them Thanksgiving meals, gave them birthday presents and Christmas/Hannukah gifts- their own children did not. The visits from their children were short and often seemed like it was something they were doing because it was expected of them. The residents who did not have children were not “alone”. Many had friends or other relatives who came by to visit often and genuinely enjoyed their company. It was rare that these residents were at the facility during their birthdays or holidays and were often picked up. These residents chose not to make their lives fulfilling by having children, but instead chose to reach out and nurture their relationships with other human beings, charitable organizations, and animals. Many had spent their lives exploring, traveling, and giving back to the world, and were very satisfied with what they had done with their lives.

There are no guarantees in life that having children will guarantee you won’t be alone and that someone will love and take care of you in your old age.

I did notice the following things about those who have children:
Financially struggling, no money for activities or vacations
Less educated, less cultured, less worldly
Forced to remain at jobs they dislike and can’t take risks in job-hunting or advancing their careers
Look way older than childfree people the same age, especially the women- worn out, wrinkles, untidy, flabby, overweight
No spontaneity and no free time to nurture their friendships, which is why they often have to make friends with other kids’ parents and have “play dates”
At least 60% of what comes out of their mouth is about something relating to their kid(s). For those without kids, the subject matter gets tiresome!
Constant 24/7 stress from work, then at home
Practically non-existent sex life with their partner

Many of these parents will try to make you feel like you’re missing out on something. Sometimes it seems as if they just want someone to join them in their unhappiness.

As for having someone who “loves” you, my husband and I are completely fulfilled with our menagerie of animals- 3 cats, 1 chinchilla, and 1 bird. And when it’s their time, we will do our part and adopt/rescue more animals. People often tell us we missing out from the love that comes from having a child, but I disagree, because the love we have for our family, friends, and animals are a lot and more than we ever need!

That being said, I was adopted. If I change my mind, I feel like I would be the ideal candidate to adopt a child. I see no difference between “biological” and “adopted” children or parents; perhaps it takes someone who has been adopted to see that.

Also, not all children who are up for adoption have problems. I was not adopted as a baby. There was nothing wrong with me, behaviorally or otherwise. Please don’t stereotype children who are up for adoption. They’re just children without parents.

Don’t have kids.
When you have kids,
1. you can’t eat, sleep, or go to the restroom whenever you want.
2. you can’t have the career that you want
3. huge expense… not only to raise kids.. but also for having reduced income
4. you always eat the left overs
5. can’t dine at fine restaurants
6. can’t take a nap whenever you want
7. you will always be tired
8. you will not have time for friends
9. you have to cook 3 meals a day, plus provide snacks
10. you have triple the laundry
11. you have to do triple the dishes
12. you are basically a housemaid, cook, doctor, teacher, psychologist, driver, shopper
13. you will have more arguments with your husband
14. you are more likely to get divorced when you have kids
15. you are more likely to end up in poverty
16. you will have less quality of life
17. your health will decline

NO mother will ever say they regret having children… ’cause once you have children, they are more than your own life. Your life ceases to exist because your kids needs to be a priority. If you want to raise children who will not end up in jail, you must devote a lot of your time and effort in raising children. You can’t party, go out every night, and spend money elsewhere. I would rather spend money in hiring a tutor for my kids than to spend that money dining out at a fancy restaurant. And money is limited. I don’t have millions of dollars to be able to do both. Even if you do, it’s still a lot of responsibility and work. All for what? You can have just as meaningful relationships with nieces and nephews, or kids from volunteering work.

Children are huge cost to taxpayers.

We are overpopulating the earth. Earth has limited source of resources and human population is exponentially increasing, depleting our natural resources. We have wars, and kill each other whenever we are fighting for these resources.