I hit my thirties this year. And as anyone who has entered another decade will know, they start to question their role in the bigger picture. For those entering the big 3-0, one of the questions is starting a family and having a child. For me, I’d rather pass. I don’t want to have a kid.
The biggest reason is I’m not ready. Sure, a lot of my mom friends tell me that you’ll never be ready for motherhood until you’re ready to pop, but the thought that I will be responsible for one whole person overwhelms me.
Imagine this. As a parent, you’re responsible for everything about a sentient being. How you raise your child will mold his personality. And no matter how much you instill your son or daughter with good values, or raise him or her right, you cannot control the outside world. What if my child ends up a serial killer? Or a mean person?
On top of that, everything is expensive. Giving birth is expensive. So is sending your child to school. I don’t want that burden. I don’t want to live a life where I have to constantly struggle where to get money to feed my son or how I’ll pay for his tuition.
Also, the world is currently crazy. Hate and fake news abound. Climate change is real. The political situation all over the world is a mess. I don’t think I want to bring a child into that environment, where he or she will be an adult in the chaos that we will leave them when our generation dies.
People may call me selfish but my purpose in life is not to overpopulate the earth. I would prefer that my purpose is to make the world better for the people and things that are already here. Whether I’m doing that is the subject for another article.
As a child-less individual, I get to enjoy my life and do what I want. I can watch a movie without having to worry about my baby crying in the cinema. I can travel whenever I want. And I don’t have to worry if my child will become a serial killer when he or she grows up. Me not having a child does not mean humankind will end, since other people are more than happy to have children. And no, not having a child doesn’t make you less of a woman.
I admire all my friends who successfully raise their kids. Especially single parents. Contrary to what my article has lef you to believe, I love kids. But I want to be the cool tita that will buy them gifts and cuddle with them. When they start to cry, I’ll just say, “go back to mommy!”
