20+ People Honestly Explained Why They Decided to Live Their Lives Without Kids

Child-free as a lifestyle became known in 2014 and has been gaining popularity since then. But people that don’t want to have children are still treated as individualists that are avoiding responsibility.

We at Bright Side grew interested in why more and more men and women are choosing to live their lives without kids. Here are some of the reasons that child-free people give.

• It feels so weird to be asked why I don’t want kids because the answer is simple: “I just don’t want them.” No deep dark secrets or anything like that. Just like I didn’t want to major in accounting or learn to play the violin. There’s nothing wrong with it. © HappyGilmOHHMYG** / Reddit
• I’m also scared of giving birth. I don’t want kids anyway but just hearing the stories of some women’s birth experiences freaks me out. © luv2l*** / Reddit
• No sleep, constant exhaustion. I’m wiped enough working 8-5, doing a workout, cooking dinner, and cleaning up after and all the other tasks of being an adult in a home, adding the additional lack of sleep and tasks of constantly keeping a child alive? I see it in people’s drawn faces and eye bags. Why would you want to invite that on yourself? © ParnsAngel / Reddit
• I like my life how it is right now. Sleeping in, taking spontaneous trips, spending my money on myself. Having a kid means your entire life changes, and I don’t want my life to change. © likeellewoods / Reddit
  

• I just have no desire. I don’t hate kids, I love my nieces and nephews and have a great time being an influential part of their life. However, that means that I also see how difficult and stressful it is to raise kids. I understand that people really love it and it’s worth it to them, but that’s just not me. © I_have_stuffs_to_add / Reddit
• You know how people often say, “I’ll do a better job than my parents ever did?” Yeah, that doesn’t always work out that way. My parents were absolutely horrible to us. My sibling said, “I’ll do a better job!” and she really thought she would. She didn’t. She didn’t finish her education, just like our parents didn’t. She’s completely overwhelmed with taking care of her children, just like our parents were. Her husband is trash, just like our father was. She has untreated mental issues, just like our mother had. Her children are unruly, constantly fight, have zero manners. © firetruckgoesweewoo / Reddit
• Oh, SO many reasons. Where to begin... There are millions of orphans in the world — what about ME and my genes is so special that I have to create an entirely new human from scratch? I know couples who’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on fertility treatments when that money could’ve just as easily gone to adopting a child. © hashslingaslah / Reddit
• Freedom. My husband and I would probably be pretty good parents and we’re in a good spot financially, but we feel complete with each other. We have fun together and want to spend the rest of our lives without the responsibility and stress of kids. © billieaspen515 / Reddit

• Because I believe that children deserve parents that will love them, always put them first, spend quality time with them and make sacrifices so that their children can have the best opportunities — but at the same time have the strength to set boundaries and discipline them in a healthy way so that they grow into good human beings. I don’t trust myself to be unselfish enough to be everything that I believe a child deserves. I sometimes catch myself thinking that children might be nice; but until I’m sure of myself, financially stable, and in a steady relationship, a child is unlikely to be in the picture. © vixterlkirby / Reddit
• Some people want kids so much that they literally suffer if they don’t have kids yet. I’ve never had that. I was told that when I’m 30, I’ll get married and I’ll want kids. Well, I’ve gone through all of these stages and I still don’t want to have kids. © ChibiSailorMercury / Reddit
• I don’t want to give birth and go through all that. Adoption is a long process and a lot of money that I don’t have. © SinisterKiss_ / Reddit
• I was “parentified” as a child to my 4 younger siblings. When I see a child now, I act nice but cannot wait to get away from it. A child crying/screaming immediately puts me in an angry/foul mood for the rest of the day. I had my share of caring for kids, and have next to nothing positive come out of it... © codegamer1 / Reddit
• As someone who wants to become an elementary school teacher, people are often shocked to find out I don’t want children. But the reason is simple: they cost a LOT of money, they take up a lot of free time and space. © PearFickle / Reddit

• I personally don’t want to put my body through the trauma of growing and birthing a child/children, I can barely emotionally handle myself a lot of the time and don’t want to risk passing on any of my mental illnesses to someone who didn’t ask to be born, and they’re overall a huge financial burden and with the pandemic having destroyed my personal finances, I will never be in a financial position to feel comfortable raising a child. © hmwhatshouldmynameb / Reddit
• I grew up with an abusive father. Sadly, I see myself acting like him way too much. I really hate it. I know that when I raise my voice at my mom she thinks I’m just like my father. If I ever get kids I’d mess them up. I’ll be just as bad of a parent as he was. © bruuuuuuuuuceee / Reddit
• I’d love to if I could be a father. Motherhood asks you to sacrifice everything from your body to identity to even your life for your child (my mom almost died in childbirth). I love my body, my financial freedom, my career, my relationship, and the cleanliness and silence of my home. I refuse to give any of that up for a child I know I would resent for upheaving my life. I firmly believe that unless you have daydreams about having children and know you ABSOLUTELY want to have them, do NOT have them. They are not something you can feel ambivalent about. They are the ultimate lifestyle change and anyone saying otherwise is lying. © swiggityswootoot / Reddit
• I work in maternal-fetal medicine (in an administrative capacity) and I have to be honest — people REALLY conceal the worst parts of pregnancy and childbirth. It is traumatic and for me personally, it is pretty gross. © hashslingaslah / Reddit

• I don’t even know if I will have a future myself. It feels selfish to bring a child into this world at this current state. © didi_0920 / Reddit
• I’m lazy. I like my free time. I like money (well, the little I have!). I like sleep. I’ve also just never had the instinct in me to want kids. I feel complete without them. Plus it’s scary enough worrying about my own future, let alone the future of miniature humans I am responsible for bringing into the world. Rather give it a miss. © Concerned-Pineapple / Reddit
• I have crazy-low pain tolerance, a heaping of health anxiety, and I pass out whenever I have blood drawn; for me to get pregnant would literally mean I’d be suffering for 9 months (and then 18 years). What pregnancy does to women’s bodies is a big deal, and it gets downplayed so much. © spcking / Reddit
• I want to do what I want when I want. © Ghengiscone / Reddit
• I have kids and never wanted kids. If you don’t want kids, please don’t have kids. © TrainwreckMooncake / Reddit

Do you have children? Have you always wanted to have a child?