“Having kids wouldn’t suit my lifestyle or personality type,” says a Redditor. “Kids require more engagement than I have mental capacity for,” another one adds. Both of these — and many more — are valid reasons not to have kids. And even though as much as one in five adults simply don’t want children, some people might still wonder why.
The user ilovenosycats relied on the AskReddit community to find some answers on why you shouldn’t have kids, and people were open about their opinions and experiences. Some of them shared sharp remarks, while others provided more complex and personal reasons not to have children, all of which you will find on this list.
Bored Panda has reached out to the u/iovenosycats, and she was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Scroll down to find her thoughts on the topic below.
#41
Whenever I see women give their reason for being childless, they always reference how it would negatively impact on THEIR lives.. (which I definitely relate to so no shade)
But despite the fact that I would hate being a mother.. I still don't hate the idea of having a kid someday. I've always sort of pictured myself with one.
The reason I'm not gonna do it is for the child's sake.
No kid deserves to be stuck with me as their mother for life.
No kid deserves to be stuck with me as their mother for life.
I know how I feel about my mother.. and I share all of her flaws and none of her coping skills. My kid would hate me and I would deserve it. This kid is pretty much guaranteed emotional instability and consequential trauma that I won't be able to control 100% of the time.
And to consciously bring that kid into this pre-apocalyptic world of nonsensical tyranny?? This child would be a mess on the inside and on the outside.
Pass.
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33points
#43
I like my life exactly like it is. Kids might make it better. They might make it worse. But, since this is awesome, I’m great with things staying the way they are.
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32points
#44
Infertility. We tried for years I wanted nothing more than to be a mother but it just didn’t happen. But though this process we have realized we really enjoy our no kids lifestyle. So as of now if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t by the time I’m 40 we will adopt…maybe.
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31points
#45
Both I and the woman who would have been their mom are not mentally fit to be parents. Our house would not be a good place to grow up. We also have some bad physical traits that are best left out of the genepool.
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30points
#47
I'm living this life for me. I can go and do whatever I want, whenever I want, without thinking of anyone else and it doesn't impact anyone else whatsoever. Absolute freedom. Then there's the costs. Then there's the world going to s**t. Unless I can 100% guarantee they will be successful, healthy and happy, that's a No-Go for me.
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29points
#49
1. I'm not ready financially, emotionally, physically, mentally capable and any other aspects right there
2. I am single, never been in a relationship, and currently no plans of having one. If I'll find for my parther, we should agree on the fact that we might choose not to have kids.
3. I am still spoiling my inner child. I need to focus on making myself better first
4. Even if I became the best parent in the world, giving everything to my child, I think the world isn't that sustainable anymore. You can give the best parenting method to your child but pollution, bad influence, discrimination, accidents, war, and potential pandemics will just make you think that this isn't the perfect place to live anymore
2. I am single, never been in a relationship, and currently no plans of having one. If I'll find for my parther, we should agree on the fact that we might choose not to have kids.
3. I am still spoiling my inner child. I need to focus on making myself better first
4. Even if I became the best parent in the world, giving everything to my child, I think the world isn't that sustainable anymore. You can give the best parenting method to your child but pollution, bad influence, discrimination, accidents, war, and potential pandemics will just make you think that this isn't the perfect place to live anymore
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25points
#50
Full transparency, and being a bit vulnerable here, it’s actually a combination of several things:
1) It’s hard to determine a consistent sense of self with the way American society is so fast paced now for me, and I cannot imagine having to navigate someone I’m responsible for through the world to help them determine their own sense of self
2) I’d think it would be selfish of me to produce a kid with the genes I’ve gotten from my family (bipolar depressive disorder, ADHD, heart disease, etc.) and then have them suffer through that stuff
3) I still struggle with my insecurities regarding my intelligence and knowledge basis on finances, household maintenance, car repairs, and consistency in my own life routines where I get a sense of fulfillment, so ineptitude essentially
4) I cannot afford that idea right now and likely won’t be able to because I don’t per se put a premium on the accumulation of capital and financial resources, nor do I necessarily want to
5) I read the 3 prominent Stoic philosophy texts by Seneca, Aurelius, and Epictetus and routinely they mentioned the things we “own” owning us due to the upkeep required for these “things”, and I hate the idea of being indebted to or forced to submit myself to anything really and daily have problems coming to grips with needing to do this to “play nice” in society at large
Sorry, it seems like I ranted there…
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23points
We’ve sifted through a lot of thoughts and facts, and now we’d love to hear from you! Are you nodding along with some points or shaking your head at others? Whatever your take, drop a comment below and share your perspective. Your voice adds color to this ongoing conversation, and we’re here for it!