To me anyways…and a few others around the world. A few million others.

Years of writing on the subject of not wanting to be a parent. Years of observations and dedicated research. The result remains the same. There are daily reminders to me as to how grateful I am for the decision I have made to leave parenting to others. It was never for me. My memory is sharp enough to a time where I recall as a kid saying that being a Dad would never be in the cards.

Witnessing what parents have to go through on a daily basis is incredible. Exhaustion sets in during even a few observations. All I can say to myself is no, absolutely positively no. Still amazing is how often a few people will ask me when we are going to have kids. Or, there will be some sort of moment where we might be in some situation where a person brings a newborn into the picture. This results in “Doesn’t it make you want to have one of your own?”

No. It never has and never will.

Time is valuable. Finding time to do the things you want to do is a recurring gift. Finding even ten minutes of peace and solitude every day is a powerful thing. The very idea that so much of life would change in order to be a responsible parent. That is a frightening thing.

So often and for so long, it was a struggle to even take care of myself. Some days it still is. The appeal of wanting a better life for myself far outweighs any potential pros* of possibly becoming a parent.

* For me, there are no actual pros to being a parent. 

@WriterDann