Not every woman is cut out to have kids

Because I’m a woman in my early twenties, whenever I tell people older than myself that I don’t want to have kids, the response I most often get is a wink paired with a semi-condescending “You’ll change your mind.”

Me, actively not caring what you think of me

Then there’s the “So many people can’t have kids – not having kids when you can is like an insult to them.” Sorry, but I’m not going to live my life based on what other people want.

No, I don’t hate children. I spent most of my teenage years babysitting for family and neighbors, including taking care of my own little sister.

All my experiences with children have shown me is that while I like them, I don’t want my own.

Me at 15, with some of kids I would babysit

I’ve been told on more than one occasion that it is my obligation to give my parents grandchildren.

1) No it most definitely is not

2) I have siblings – they can “give my parents grandchildren” if they want to

3) If my parents want grandchildren specifically from me, then they’ll just have to accept the pack of dogs I have one day as their grandchildren

My dog, Hazel, judging you for trying to judge me

I understand the beauty of having children. For some people, having children is what completes their life, and I think that’s an amazing thing. I also wish that more people understood that not wanting children doesn’t make me a selfish person, or somehow less of a woman.

We’re not all wired the same way – some people have the personality for kids, and some just don’t. If you really want to know why I don’t want kids, here are just a few of my own personal reasons.

Day to day, I live with anxiety. I am also an introvert, and I need quiet alone time pretty much every day to keep myself balanced.

If I had kids, I know that I would be worried about them constantly, and not have the time to myself to recharge from all of the worrying. On top of this, I am not going into a line of work that is going to guarantee financial stability.

Pregnancy sucks (yeah, I know, I don’t have to get pregnant to have kids). What if I have horrible kids? We all know horrible people who have great parents. You can’t control how crappy your kids are if they’re just that crappy.

In conclusion, I’m going to let my family and friends who want kids have them, and try be good to those little suckers.

Auntie Meryl lets you play with her dogs, gives you $50 on your birthday, and makes a mean taco casserole – she’s all set.

@TheTab