People Get Raw And Honest About Whether They Regret Not Having Kids Now That They're Over 40

To gain more insight into how this conversation began in the first place, we reached out to the woman who posed this question on Reddit. The woman, who we will refer to as the post's author to respect her privacy, told Bored Panda, "I’m 24 and childfree. I have known for quite a while that I don’t want kids, at least not my own biological ones. But with everyone around you telling you that you’ll want them sooner or later/with the right partner/etc., I was looking for some assurance (or proof that those people are right) from older folks."

We also asked the author if the replies to this post changed her opinions on being childfree at all. "They didn’t change them at all, if anything I was overwhelmed by the ratio of people regretting or not regretting it," she shared. "There were some who, looking back, would’ve wanted children. But most stuck to their decision. Even though one couple took care of a baby from a relative for a couple months, raised it like their own apparently, and developed parental feelings, they didn’t want to have their own."

We were also curious what the author thinks are the pros and cons of being childfree. "The pros would be silence, money and time for yourself, being able to focus on your own life," she shared. "Also not bringing another life into this world that seems to have such a dystopian future ahead. Not having to worry about what changes your body and mind has to go through during and after pregnancy, or having to live with having had a miscarriage if that happens."

"The cons would be missing out on that experience I guess? Some people also mentioned they were scared of being lonely when they get old since they have no kids to look after them," the author noted. "But in order for your kids to want to support and see you when you’re older, you have to have done a good job at raising them, and their life has to have been a rather stable one. And I know I’d probably not be a good parent, plus I would never get a child just so it can care for me when I’m old. That doesn’t seem fair."

We also asked the author what she would say to anyone who doesn't understand why she has no desire to have kids. "It’s okay you don’t understand, but don’t judge me for my decision," she shared. "Another thing that stuck to me was women wishing me luck should I ever want to get sterilized," the author noted. "It’s so hard, especially as a young woman, to have that done. Most doctors try to talk you out of it, and/or just straight up won’t do it. Once again, women are not allowed to choose and decide what they want for their bodies and themselves. And that’s just so wrong."

To gain some more insight on the topic of being childfree, we also reached out to Wilmarie and Ryan of the childfree blog Life Without Kids. Wilmarie and Ryan share their adventures traveling the world online, on their Instagram, blog Serious Travel Couple and YouTube channel. And while they live a very exciting life, kids are not part of the equation. So we at Bored Panda were curious what being childfree means to them.

"For us, being childfree means having the freedom to choose how to live our lives, what to do with our time and money, and what life purpose we want to follow," Wilmarie and Ryan shared. "It's just being us since we've never wanted kids."

We also asked Wilmarie and Ryan if there were any misconceptions about being childfree they wanted to dispel. "There are many misconceptions about being childfree," they shared. "We do not hate kids just because we don't want to have our own. Ryan loves teaching kids (he has worked as a teacher), and we have nieces and nephews we adore. Also, being childfree does not mean we're selfish. Childfree individuals also contribute to society in many ways, and for the most part, are people that care to make conscious decisions about their lives (i.e. not having kids.)"

So what's the best part of being childfree for them? "The time and financial freedom to pursue career, dreams, hobbies (traveling is our favorite) and ways to contribute to our families, community and the world," Wilmarie and Ryan shared.

"We would like to live in a world where being childfree is looked at as normal as having kids," they continued. "A family without kids is still a family. Through our childfree community @life.without.kids we aim to educate, celebrate and normalize being childfree by choice."

If you'd like to keep up with Wilmarie and Ryan's adventures online, you can find their Instagram account right here and their travel blog right here.