Lots of people in their 20s and 30s nowadays are on the fence about whether to have children or not. In 2023, 47% of Americans under 50 said they're more likely to remain childless than to have children in the future. As for people over the age of 50, 23% have never had children.
Of course, the reasons vary from person to person, but the one that is cited most often (39%) by older adults is that it just didn't happen. 33% of older Americans also didn't have kids because they didn't find the right partner, and 31% admitted they just didn't want to be parents.
But how do older, childless folks feel now? What are their lives like? Well, we can get some sort of idea from the stories people shared in a recent Reddit thread. When someone asked, "People in their 40s and 50s with no children, how does it feel?", older netizens flocked to share their thoughts about the best and worst parts of being childfree.
To know more about why and how people make the conscious decision not to have children, Bored Panda reached out to clarity coach Keltie Maguire. She kindly agreed to tell us more about how differently men, women, and people of other genders approach this decision. Keltie also shared some advice for people in their 30s who are struggling with their choice to remain childfree. Read her expert insights below!
#21
Awesome to be honest. For various reasons including medical, I just don’t have the physical and mental stamina to deal with any of that. I’m also a little sensitive to noise, so shrieking children are unbearable to me.
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18points
#22
Fantastic. I actually love kids but can’t imagine:
1. Always having the responsibility of a child
2. Subjecting the child to my mental health issues
3. Bringing life into a world where Earth is dying
4. Affording to live in the US with a child
5. Dealing with the anxiety of my child’s future with the bleakness of the world issues we are currently experiencing (civil unrest/wealth disparity/nuclear war/AI/Environmental crisis, etc).
1. Always having the responsibility of a child
2. Subjecting the child to my mental health issues
3. Bringing life into a world where Earth is dying
4. Affording to live in the US with a child
5. Dealing with the anxiety of my child’s future with the bleakness of the world issues we are currently experiencing (civil unrest/wealth disparity/nuclear war/AI/Environmental crisis, etc).
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18points
#24
I can do ridiculous things on a whim. Yeah, no regrets there.
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17points
#26
F*****g awesome! I spend all my money on me, do whatever the f**k I want, whenever I want to. There's no children crying, no messes to clean up besides the ones I make myself, no parent teacher conferences, no school recitals, no peewee soccer games I have to attend with a bunch of other loser parents that I have to be nice to because my kid is friends with their kid, I don't need to watch children's movies or TV shows, the list goes on.
The more I type this stuff, the happier I get!
The more I type this stuff, the happier I get!
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17points
#27
As someone who just spent a holiday weekend with my family and 4 nieces and nephews I definitely have no regrets.
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16points
#28
I visit family members with kids and one thing is made emphatically clear to me: my house is quiet and peaceful. I go over to my sibling-in-law house, it is so non-stop loud and noisy and screechy. My quiet house is such a big difference.
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16points
#29
I love it. 46 and so happy. We fill the space with friends, hobbies, travel. We do have a very fun niece and nephew whom we borrow occasionally. It’s like microdosing parenting.
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16points
#30
Eh. I would have liked to have children, but life just didn't work out that way. Occasionally I have the "I wish" feelings, but I also think it happened this way for a reason.
A lot of my friends have kids, and I am the 'cool aunt' who brings the fun, but can also be a listening post when the kid wants to talk about something they're not ready to talk to their parents about just yet. I'm happy with that.
I think I've also sort of become the 'kid-parent' translator in a way. Sometimes my friends are frustrated with their kids, and I've been able to explain the child's point of view that seems to help everybody step back and rethink a bit. (I kind of put it down to 'they're all in the situation, so don't see thing objectively'.) It may not be much, but if it helps, then okay.
A lot of my friends have kids, and I am the 'cool aunt' who brings the fun, but can also be a listening post when the kid wants to talk about something they're not ready to talk to their parents about just yet. I'm happy with that.
I think I've also sort of become the 'kid-parent' translator in a way. Sometimes my friends are frustrated with their kids, and I've been able to explain the child's point of view that seems to help everybody step back and rethink a bit. (I kind of put it down to 'they're all in the situation, so don't see thing objectively'.) It may not be much, but if it helps, then okay.
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15points
#31
40, and lifelong single and loving it. Can do what I want whenever. I have colleagues on their second marriage, drama galore. I want none of that.
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15points
#34
I feel content AF. I travel to foreign countries twice a year and use my disposable income on whatever I want. I have friends, family, and I’m very happy! 47F.
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15points
#35
Things are hard enough without them I'm glad I didn't have any, especially considering the way everything will be falling apart in the next 5-10 years. It's a great time to not exist.
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15points