Not wanting such a life for themselves, some people decide not to have children at all. And that’s fine, too. Others are just curious about what their day-to-day looks like without little ones running around all the time. One of them was redditor NetworkOver7742, who was so intrigued that they even started an online discussion about it. And child-free couples had a lot to say, with almost 4K of them sharing their experiences. Below, you’ll find the most popular ones that will give you an insightful look into what it’s really like to not have children. While you’re at it make sure to check out a conversation with author and astrocartographer Helena Woods who chose to be kid-free and shares her experience online. More info: YouTube | Instagram
Image credits: NetworkOver7742
angelaelle , Dan Birlem / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Not_a_werecat , Greta Hoffman / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
SunnyGirlDD , Anete Lusina / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Bored Panda reached out to Helena Woods, who kindly agreed to share about her child-free experience. She told us that it wasn’t something she had doubts about.
“It’s never been hard for me to make this decision to be child-free. I’ve always known. And when you have that intuitive, knowing feeling in your gut, it’s not something you have to sift and sort through your mind. I’ve always loved children but knew I came here to live a different lifestyle and pursue different things.”
skillao , Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
CocoaAlmondsRock , Yaroslav Shuraev / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
i-need-blinker-fluid , Lisa Fotios / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
She tells us that uncomfortable situations where strangers feel like they deserve an explanation of why she doesn’t want to become a parent happen too often.
“If I eat pizza, strangers look at my belly and ask me when I’m expecting. As a woman, you can’t escape the constant questioning. It’s as if people don’t realize we each have our own intuition to listen to, and our own unique path in life. Not everyone is meant to be a parent and not everyone wants to.”
Tagihi , Gary Barnes / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Zoe_Hamm , Kampus Production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
AffectionateYam9637 , Yan Krukau / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
EstroJen , Yaroslav Shuraev / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Appropriate-Emu4576 , Andres Ayrton / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
waitedfothedog , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
“And we both have a lot of personal dreams, of travel, of books we want to write, of hobbies and subjects to learn about. More than anything, we love having the space and time to design our days the way we want to. We both recognize the sacrifice, time, and dedication to raising humans in the world, and for us personally, it’s not a prerequisite for our happiness. There is more to life than raising humans.”
InnerAd3454 , SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Big-Hope7616 , Ksenia Chernaya Report
Ultimatelee , RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
“Listen to yourself. Trust yourself. We don’t talk enough about the importance of self-trust. You know yourself more than anyone else. No mother, no neighbor, or teacher knows what you, yourself, want and will be happy with. Prioritize that soft whisper, that inner knowing. Listen to that gut feeling that you have and trust it. No one else’s opinion about your body and what you do with it is worth listening to.”
StrikingRise4356 , Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Lulu_42 , Anastasia Kostyleva / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
gratefuldad20089 , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
WorldBiker , Kampus Production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
FluffySpell , Kindel Media / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
eltimb0 , RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
KittikatB , Teona Swift / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
jl__57 , Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
FoxyBiGal , Cassiano Psomas / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Kjata1013 , SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
hugatree2023 , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
xxxSnowLillyxxx , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
BigAddam , Anastasia Shuraeva / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
811545b2-4ff7-4041 , Yan Krukau / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Gonadalchait351 , Anastasia Shuraeva Report
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