Whether to have children or not has become a pretty divisive topic online and some people on Reddit have opened up about what influenced their decision to remain child-free.
Deciding to welcome life into the world is a big decision, instead of settling down and popping out a few kiddies, some have decided to have lives that aren’t ruled by sticky substances on the walls, nappies that have exploded, Peppa Pig on the TV or the constant need to re-fill the snack cupboard.
According to the Office of National Statistics, over than half of women in England and Wales that were born in 1990 were delaying parenthood when they turned 30 in 2020, which they add has been steadily rising.
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There are lots of reasons as to why people decide against having children, and the people of Reddit have spoken up about why they’re maintaining that choice.
Kids cost money
One thing a lot of people seem to agree on is that children take up a lot of time and money, and it’s too much for them to pay.
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According to the Yorkshire Building Society, the cost of raising a child up to the age of 18 costs couples around £150,000 and £200,000 for single parents.
That’s a crazy amount of money.
One person wrote: “I enjoy money and silence.”
Don’t we all?
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Kids make a lot of noise
There’s nothing better than sitting in silence, but with a kid, you won’t get that unless they’re at school or asleep.
Someone preferred the silence, adding: “The silence, oh God the silence.
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"I have a cousin whose kids NEVER ever stop talking to her. Like literally only when they’re asleep. She’ll visit me and we’re having an adult conversation and they’ll just be tapping her and saying ‘mum’ ‘mummy’ on repeat. She says she doesn’t even hear them anymore. I could never.”
While a second said: "I'm in my mid thirties and love how quiet my house is. I have 2 cats and that's it. It's wonderful."
'I'd regret not having kids than having them'
A study conducted in 2023 about parental regret showed that it ranged between 5 and 14 percent in developed countries. And when asked if they could go back and change their mind, many chose to be childless, however, the study goes on to add that knowledge about parental regret is still very limited.
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But it was one of the reasons listed by a number of people as to why they didn't want children.
One Redditor said: “I’d rather regret not having kids than regret having them.
“I've seen thousands of patients over the years and the sheer number of regretful parents is really heartbreaking.”
They don't have the patience for kids
It seriously takes a lot of patience to have kids - a patience that you didn’t even know you could possess.
One person who worked in education said they couldn't have it 24/7, writing: “Honestly, I don’t have the patience to deal with them.
“I work in education and absolutely have the patience but omg, if I had to have that patience at work and at home.... I get off work and need to DECOMPRESS.”
Simply because they don’t want to
The most simple reason is to not have kids because you don’t want them - and it’s hard to argue with that.
A Redditor said: “Because I don’t want to. Seriously, why can't people just understand that?"
While a second person said: "A lot of my friends want kids when they're older, both my parents and sets of grandparents put pressure on me to.
"They just don't understand that it's possible to not want to have them.”
Other reasons that were listed by those on Reddit in their forties and fifties included wanting to prioritise their own happiness and financial freedom, while others were fine just having nieces and nephews.
Britt Jones