Do you regret having kids?
Posted by cinammoncurves@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 921 comments
My friend had a child recently and I hear her say she doesn't feel like parenting "today" almost every day.
I hear people huff and puff about their children a lot more than they say anything positive about parenting.
I understand that sometimes we complain about situations and don't share the good stuff.
I'd like to ask you about your own personal experiences.
Do you regret having children? Do you regret not having children?
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
Nah. It's a lot of work, but well within the capabilities of an average person. Like everything worth doing, you get out proportionate to what you put in.
You lose flexibility, but Reddit talks like parenting will be nothing but poverty and screaming and you'll have no hobbies and you'll hate yourself and it's... not like that at all. It's just not. You're in charge of your life, something Reddit has a bit of an issue with anyway.
People huff and puff more about anything than they speak positively.
Crafty_Lobster_1060@reddit
This isn’t the case for everyone! I have young kids one is a baby. I work with kids myself! I always thought I was meant to be a mom. I do love my kids but I just don’t have the patience, the energy, the devotion I once had like in the beginng of mmy career. It’s the 24/7 with no freedom. I am tied to them 24/7. I knew it would be hard but no one prepares you for the level of difficulty. I haven’t slept a full nights sleep in 2 years! Like there are days that I know I am depressed but I have tiny humans who depend in me so I push through. I am a shell of a person right now. Are there days I regret it! Yes mostly when I have slept only a couple hours between the 2 of them waking up. I am serve my sleep deprived! It’s like a firm of torture
Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit
I love what you said about it unlocking a giant section of the brain, this is so true!!!
Sister_Ray_@reddit
Can you explain, I don't really understand it?
iDemonix@reddit
There's not much to understand, it's just word salad.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
I'm glad you found that but it's just something I could never take the risk on. With the demands of the 9-5 routine I already struggle to find enough time for myself, to grow as a person, to work on my relationships and hobbies. Sometimes at the end of a workday I'm completely spent and I worry if there was a little sprog there making demands of me a lot of resentment and hatred would build up
ramxquake@reddit
Don't take this the wrong way but I don't see how you can be spent after eight hours work (which if it's 9-5 is presumably office based). People work much longer hours in harder jobs and manage to raise children.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
Well good for them. Luckily for me, I don't subscribe to the "some people have it harder than me, therefore I can't complain" school of thought.
I find an office job saps my morale and leaves me no time to pursue anything worthwhile. On each workday, lets say you work 8 hours, then you have the bare essential tasks you need to do to live- say 8 hours of sleep, an hour to get ready in the morning, an hour of exercise, an hour of housework, an hour cooking and prepping healthy meals. That leaves you with at best 2 or 3 hours in the evening, right at the end of the day when you're too tired to do anything too mentally or physically stimulating, and too short a length of time to make serious progress on any project that requires deep focus and attention.
I'm working hard atm to get to a place where I can work less and have more free time for the things I love and that make life worth living- being creative, travelling and exploring, reading and educating myself, building stronger relationships with my partner, family and friends. I can't imagine the additional strain having children would place upon those things.
ramxquake@reddit
I work 12 hour shifts and have 2-3 hours in the evening, so I've no idea what you're doing.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
12 hour shift + 8 hours sleep + say an hour getting ready for work leaves you with 3 hours left in the day- once you've taken time for exercise and cooking healthy meals from scratch, that leaves you with, at best, one hour. How is that a way to live? What can you realistically get done in an hour? And who wants to live in such a strictly timetabled regimented way, where if you dare to take a moment’s downtime the rest of your routine falls apart?
ramxquake@reddit
It doesn't take me an hour to get ready for work. Ten minutes and I'm out the door. Seven hours sleep. You don't need to cook every meal separately. Get a 5l slow cooker.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
Ten minutes??? Breakfast? Coffee? Shower? Getting dressed? Seven hours sleep is unhealthy, I couldn't cope with that long term. Slow cooker still requires some prep and isn't great for vegetarian dishes. You haven't brought up exercise at all even though I keep mentioning it so I'm assuming you just don't do it, which again is unhealthy. I do an hour a day and actually have really high daily calorie requirements because of it, which again is more food prep.
Anyway, beyond your not so low key flexing about how efficient your daily routine is, you haven't engaged with my main point, which is who wants to live like that?? Who wants to live with every waking moment regimented and timetabled? We aren't productivity machines, down time and idle time are good for us and make us happy. They stimulate thoughts and creativity.
ramxquake@reddit
I have a shower after work (labourer). I don't eat breakfast or coffee when I get up, not hungry and caffeine works best if you give it a couple of hours. Get up, piss, wash, brush teeth, pint of water. Dressed, pack sandwiches. Ready to go in 15 minutes. What are you waiting about for?
I walk a lot, and go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Don't do it in the morning usually, then I'd have to get up even earlier, usually go after work. Exercise burns about 2-300 calories per hour, so it doesn't increase your requirements that much. And it's easy to shove an extra 300 calories into your food, that's a couple of slices of bread and an extra tablespoon of oil. Or just make a slightly larger portion size.
It's not about want. I have to go to work, I have other things to do, so I do them. When you have less time, you'll be surprised at how efficient you are, how much crap you cut out. You don't need to watch breakfast TV. You don't need an extra meal when you're feeling sick in the morning. You don't need that cup of coffee when just getting up and about wakes you up anyway. I have plenty of downtime.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
I get up, have coffee and breakfast (bowl of porridge) = 15 minutes. Shower, shit, shave, floss, brush teeth, apply moisturiser to dry skin on my back, apply SPF to my face, takes about 20/25 minutes in total. Get dressed, pack bag, run a few errands (load dishwasher etc) = 15 mins. Easily the best part of an hour.
I do 7+ hours of running or cycling a week, my extra daily calorie requirements from that are around 700 calories a day. I know that is a very accurate figure because I have a power meter on my bike and it records total work done in kJ. I've recently been trying to add in moderate strength training as well so that will up that number even more.
Well it should be, what's the point in living if you're not trying to get a better life for yourself and do the things you want.
I don't want to be efficient. There's no joy in efficiency. Being a ruthlessly efficient productivity robot is anathema everything that makes us human.
You don't "need" those things, sure. But they are the little things that make life worth living. The small pleasures. The moments of rest and respite.
ramxquake@reddit
Sitting around in the morning watching TV makes your life living? Like I said, I shower/shave in the evenings. Moisturiser/SPF takes seconds to apply. Maybe you're just slow. Those calorie calculators aren't necessarily very accurate, and you can just eat empty calories (oil, starch, sugar). A 2l bottle of coke would account for that.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
the calories calculator is very accurate. The power meter literally records the calories you expend pushing the pedals. And since humans are universally 21-23% efficient when it comes to cycling you can calculate the calorie burn very accurately to a narrow range. Trust me, I need an extra 700 calories a day- i struggle to maintain weight if anything. And no downing coke or oil is not a healthy or effective way to get those extra calories- you still need to account for balance of macronutrients, and consider dental health.
I never said anything about TV I don't watch it. But yeah absolutely, making a nice fresh coffee from quality beans is one of the things I look forward to in the day and I don't make an apology for that.
Again, you're doing some kind of weird flex about how efficient you are, rather than engaging with my main point- life is about joy not efficiency. Tbh, it comes across as though you have a major chip on your shoulder and like you're playing a weird "back in my day" salt of the earth character. Your life sounds dreary and dull and grey and I wouldn't want to live it.
ramxquake@reddit
If you eat a balanced meal to cover your normal base metabolism, the energy you need for exercise can just be pure calories. That's why you see Olympians eating McDonalds and pizzas, they just need energy.
And you have time to do that if you only work 8 hours. I can get up half an hour earlier and make coffee if I like.
Mithent@reddit
Same here. I've never wanted children in any case, but I feel like my life is already busy enough, and when I do spend time with others' children I'm glad to go home at the end of the day to a calm, quiet house. Perhaps your mindset does change significantly when they're your own, but it definitely feels like it's a tremendous risk when you can't just change your mind later if it doesn't.
Ypnos666@reddit
You're voicing the fears of every sane and balanced individual on the planet. It's extremely healthy - I've met some people who do not deserve to be parents and let me tell you, they did not have your outlook.
I had the same fears, anxieties and my mind racing with "what ifs". But then the midwife handed me my son and the best way I can describe it is a switch, clicking on. And then a few years later the midwife handed me my second son and that switch didn't click. I have no idea why. It took months to bond. 10 and 6 years later, they are my world and I would take a bullet for them.
All I will say is, forget about other people's kids. It is absolutely nothing like having your own.
ramxquake@reddit
If everyone was sane and balanced, humanity would have died out.
Drunk_Cartographer@reddit
Agree with this. Something in your mindset does switch but I do think you have to be in a place where you are ready to accept some sacrifice. If you aren’t ready for your family to become more important than your social life, hobbies or needing to nap after work then it’s going to hit you very hard I would imagine.
That being said it requires maturity and teamwork with your partner. We both still get to do things with our friends and for ourselves just not ALL the time. If one of us is tired and needs a rest the other one steps up.
samiDEE1@reddit
Right. This amazing ability to cope with anything definitely didn't unlock in my mum's brain...
rdxc1a2t@reddit
It's good that you recognise this. I often get asked whether I'd recommend other people having kids and I always say "absolutely not" because it's such a personal decision and everyone's life situation before they have kids is different and everyone's life after they have kids will be different. There are just too many variables for me to say "it works for me so it should be fine for you".
There are so many people I know who barely thought what their life would be like when the kids arrived. You of course can't predict everything in life but I looked at the life my wife and I had, thought about every worse case scenario within reason across the 18+ years and figured that yeah, we could probably make it work. It made us agree on "one and done" which is a decision I'm glad we made long before trying for our first child.
FriendlyGuitard@reddit
Yes, it does reset several priorities. I found it much easier to handle external stress caused by work, easier to deal with people. Arbitrary consumer society milestone, like I need to have that, do that, see that, are a lot less compelling as before.
The worry that increase is the stuff that worries everyone: education, health, housing. Basically all the stuff society keep screwing while convincing you a trip to Bali is the real live changing thing you need.
MissKatbow@reddit
Really echo this, especially the first 2 paragraphs. I get much less sleep and feel like I have much less time, but you just find the energy and the time because you have to. Makes me think I could have been a much more productive person before children hah.
Sister_Ray_@reddit
No sleep isn't healthy or sustainable long term. And I don't want to be a productivity robot where every waking minute has to be devoted to doing some task. Sometimes sitting and doing nothing is good
WinWooCherub@reddit
You're so right! There's still a lot of things that I wish I had the time for, but I manage to get quite a lot done for having a baby. Really makes me feel like a squandered my time in those kid free days 😅
Cold_Ebb_1448@reddit
Or your experience is just different to others. I’m a parent and feel much closer to the reddit opinion which you’re deriding.
Careful-Increase-773@reddit
Same! I think it massively depends on child’s temperament and your support network, I have a highly sensitive autistic 5 year old and a colicky 5 week old and I don’t regret them but every day is absolute survival right now
festess@reddit
Well maybe your experience is different to others, I'm a parent and i agree with the guy who derides the reddit opinion. Where do we go from there we can go back and forth all day.
Cold_Ebb_1448@reddit
I’m not denying that other people’s experiences will be different
01892_REG@reddit
Completely true - "It's more work, but you have more energy".
We have just had our first child (almost 3 weeks old) and before he was born I couldn't envision how possibly difficult the lack of sleep could be because I used to love my sleep so much. Well, the lack of sleep is so much easier than I could have expected! I definitely have a lot more energy somehow, but the hardest thing, especially with a newborn, is finding time for yourself.
I am somehow still finding time to go to the gym 3x a week and we do get the odd hour here or there to ourselves. Thank God I have a supportive wife. Our teamwork is so crucial at this point in our marriage.
BenefitAdvanced@reddit
I grew up always watching my family struggle living paycheck to paycheck and never really having anything. I knew it was rough and expensive watching my mother raising 3 kids. So for me i guess it’s psychological. I went out and built a great career and became successful and decided I would lead my grown-up life with shitloads of disposable income and a relaxing lifestyle that doesn’t resemble anything like the environment I grew up in. I don’t regret having kids one bit I lead a great life, I can do anything I want and everyday is mine.
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
I have severely autistic identical twins. I love them so much but every day is a struggle just to survive. I don’t regret having them but I do feel guilty bringing them into a world that they’ll never understand and that will never understand them.
Onesielover88@reddit
My lad has Down Syndrome, he's 18 now but fuck has it been hard to get to this point. We still have meltdowns, and he can be a right dickhead... But he is finally at a better age for his disability and understanding "his" world. He's like a toddler trapped in a man's body!
uwotm86@reddit
My youngest has a global development delay/autism. I used to be hopeful he would catch up but he just stays the same. Sometimes it really gets to me but I’ve mourned for him and accepted that this is how he is.
Some days I regret having him and his brother. I see friends and family with “normal” kids and wish I had their lives.
I’ve often asked myself why I have kids and I didn’t want kids but a family. I wanted them to have what I didn’t. Two parents and a loving home. Instead my ex wife decided to break that all apart then a couple of years later decided she didn’t want them in her life.
Now it’s just me and them. The sudden and foolishly unexpected situation of the kids living with me caused my relationship with my new partner to break down. A lack of family help to give us time to spend caused resentment in her and I can understand why.
So now I’m single and have two kids full time. I can’t date, my youngest will most likely never leave home. I’ll probably be changing nappies until the day I die, alone, full of fear for my son’s future.
He does give great cuddles though and who doesn’t feel good when their sheer presence can make someone else giddy with joy.
Accomplished-Cook654@reddit
I'm a single mum with a son with asd and a toddler who is so far speech delayed.
During my pregnancy I found out I am autistic, and my then partner upped his abuse until I couldn't ignore it and I had to leave.
It's... Not what I wanted? Ha. I look at families that get to share the load, and enjoy each other's company, and I feel painfully lonely. I am lucky enough to have my parents about, thank god, but still, it's hard, and I wouldn't advise anyone to be a sole parent. I certainly wouldn't have chosen to have children had I known I was autistic.
PeculiarArtemis14@reddit
You’re the same person, despite your diagnosis. I’m autistic too. I’m 15 and I know it must be hard getting diagnosed so late but it doesn’t change who you are as a person, you’re still you
Object-195@reddit
True but i think the point might be that autism gets inherited?
PeculiarArtemis14@reddit
Oh NO!!! My child might be autistic ?? that's so awful !! oh no! what a terrible thing !!! /sarcasm
Object-195@reddit
I have autism myself.
What I said wasn't meant to be some attack but a reason why some wouldn't want one.
Not all of us turn out as functional members of society, and even when we do like in my case I was still challenging for my parents
PeculiarArtemis14@reddit
ofc, i understand. Sorry i really do understand i just felt a little upset that people would rather not have an autistic kid since that makes me feel really useless
Object-195@reddit
its fine, i'm sure your not useless.
Which i can imagine you've been told before, its hard the shake that feeling sometimes
Sopski@reddit
Genes are not the only factor in ASD though, anybody could have a kid with ASD.
Accomplished-Cook654@reddit
Of course, and that's a good perspective.
Flat_Development6659@reddit
Surely you knew who you were before being diagnosed though? I'd have thought you'd recognise you were different or had quirks pre-diagnosis, what did the diagnosis actually change?
If this comes across as offensive it's due to my ignorance not my intent.
Dougalface@reddit
Sounds like a tough situation but fair play for being realistic about it. U have ASD, I think my dad did too but was never diagnosed. My mother's side of the family has it's own share of mental health issues.. so yeah, I'm sure we can all guess how I turned out.
I wish more potential parents put their own desire to have kids aside and viewed objectively what baggage they'd potentially be subjecting another human being to in satisfying their urge to pro-create.
It brings me some sense of satisfaction that I won't be foisting this hereditary misery on anyone else.
pointsofellie@reddit
I get this. I was recently diagnosed and my toddler is speech delayed as well. I've decided to stop trying for number 2 because I don't think it's fair on me, our son or the future child.
xomwfx@reddit
Same here. Recently diagnosed AuDHD with a 4 year old with ASD and severe speech delay.
Accomplished-Cook654@reddit
Hard decision, but I genuinely think it's the best one in the circumstances. Love to you.
Similar-Tart-4848@reddit
Comparison is the thief of joy, is what I tell myself.
Hazeygazey@reddit
Your ex couldn't accept your life and your priorities. That's their choice, no judgement. But someone else might feel differently. Don't give up all hope.
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
Did you know and not abort? Or was it something you didn't find about till after birth?
uwotm86@reddit
No. Can you even test for autism in utero?
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
I honestly don't know.
richiewilliams79@reddit
I really feel for you mate, that’s shit out bad bloody luck, your wife should have been there you and her children. She will regret it, maybe she is now. That will hang over her for the rest of her life. Right on to you though
Levytron900@reddit
Your ex (mother of the kids) is a scumbag but you my friend are an absolute beacon of light in a shite old world.
EyeAlternative1664@reddit
Hey buddy, I don’t have anything super helpful to say apart from that sounds tough and hope it’s not too hard on you. That’s not even helpful actually. Hopefully there are some groups you can reach out to connect with people in similar situations? Hope you’re ok.
xomwfx@reddit
This has really touched me. Thank you for sharing your story. I wish your little family peace and happiness ✨
Nottoday390@reddit
I’m a single dad. Not dealing with half the stuff that you are. Hope you’re doing okay and on balance there are more ups than downs. You’re a good man. I also understand.
Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit
I understand
merlin8922g@reddit
My nephew has Down Syndrome, i don't claim to know all the struggles his parents have been through but i know it's been a lot.
Ill tell you one thing though, if everyone on the planet had Down Syndrome, the world would be a much happier place (not literally of course). I honestly don't know another person as loving, caring and happy as him. There isn't a malicious, nasty bone in his body and the human race could learn a lot from his character and outlook.
revertapichanges@reddit
Thanks for saying this. I've had very strong pushback on Reddit before for saying that I don't agree that all foetuses with Trisomy 21 should be aborted as a matter of course (i.e. mandated by the state). People with Down Syndrome can live happy, fulfilling lives. The arguments against my position seem to me to be eugenics, including 'but they don't contribute to society'. But... I don't care? Human society rewards people who try to avoid contributing all the time. I'm not going to point my whole existence towards demanding people serve social aims that I don't care about. We won't be here forever, but at least we can be moral and supportive while we are.
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
Who takes care of them when their parents die? Its cruel and selfish to knowingly birth them to that.
revertapichanges@reddit
Considering that anyone can become helpless and dependent for various reasons in various ways at any point of their life, and not only for diagnosable genetic reasons, your comment seems to me to be primarily a rationalisation of ableist fear of disability ("I'd rather be dead than be _____!") than a statement made in good faith.
Relevant comic: https://old.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1cvr5fg/youre_so_brave_id_rather_be_dead_oc/
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
No you're birthing them knowing they can never have a normal existence and will always require a certain level of care. That is inherently selfish on the part of the parent. It is not the same as becoming disabled throughout life.
Though for the sake of clarity, I wish there had been a big genetic red flag that would have caused my parents to abort than be born to live with chronic depression since childhood.
Brownieisbest@reddit
When I was pregnant and was told that my feotus had high risk of Trisomy 21, I thought I could beat all odds and raise my child even he is down. But now that I have him and he is normal, I wouldnt want him to have a sibling that stop him from living his life. And after having a normal child, I do not think I am up for a child with disability. It is alot of work and alot of judgements.
revertapichanges@reddit
I read this as you saying that you're pre-emptively hating imagined disabled children because they get in the way of your preferred golden child. Is that a fair conclusion?
cutzalotz@reddit
Don't have kids at all if you're not willing to have a disabled child. Anyone can become disabled at any time. Paralysis, brain damage, neurologic conditions, you name it, it can happen. People have had previously healthy kids who ended up with a condition that makes them forget how to do things that they used to know how to do, and they forgot how to do things bit by bit. Talking, walking, eating. They end up needing help with their feeding tube, to be carried or in a wheelchair, eventually they need help to breathe with a machine. It hurts to lose your child's autonomy slowly like this, but you need to be open to caring for any kind of child as a parent. You need to be willing to feed them with a feeding tube, to use a wheelchair with them, to change diapers for a long time, etc. A healthy child may not always be healthy and if you're not willing to care for a disabled child then you should not be a parent whatsoever, because your current child could become disabled. It is messed up to think that you only want to care for your child if they are healthy. I'm glad you're not my parent, my mom and dad were there for me when I got sick and they still try their best all the time for me and love me the same, they didn't just send me off to live at a group home. They also care for my intellectually disabled brother who needs immense help with everything but is so loving and gentle hearted. My aunt cared for her seven year old when they found out she has a condition that causes progressive pain and she needs infusions and surgeries constantly. My uncle stood by his daughter when they learned she has ASD, and again when she started going blind. I was healthy until I was 16, and now I have neurologic issues and have memory issues and mobility issues and struggle to do anything for very long before I collapse, so I use a wheelchair. You don't know how quickly and suddenly health can change until it happens. Just be thankful that your child is alive, no matter what, and always love them and help them as best you can. Definitely don't have another kid if you don't even want to be by your current one if they ever become disabled, I really hope they don't because it's really hard to go through as a child, but it is even worse to go through that if your parent doesn't help. It is a lot of work to have a disabled child but any child can be disabled. Think about how the child feels to be judged their entire life. You're just the parent but their entire existence is being judged and it hurts. And you're judging them now too, saying they are too hard to deal with, too much work, they make you uncomfortable. Shame on you. I implore you to explore this ableism you have inside yourself.
Everyone wanting to be a parent should be open to the possibility of a disabled child. You shouldn't just give a child up for adoption or give them to the state when they become disabled. Would you want your parent to do that to you if you became sick? Why are their lives less valuable to you people? They deserve a family just like every other child. They deserve a parent who loves them. You don't deserve a child if you're not open to caring for one with a disability, because ANY CHILD CAN BECOME DISABLED AT ANY TIME.
Brownieisbest@reddit
You are talking about the unforeseen circumstances after birth, of course no parent would abandon their children even if their children have become disabled.
cutzalotz@reddit
Then why make the claim that you can't handle raising a disabled child? If you would make it work with your current child then you can handle it.
Instead, just say one kid is enough and move on, there is no need to be ableist. You can be grateful your child is healthy without shitting on disabled people 🙄
revertapichanges@reddit
Thank you for saying this. Ableism is a harmful prejudice, and needs to be diagnosed and disagreed with.
revertapichanges@reddit
This is not true, as shown by the facts of the matter.
merlin8922g@reddit
Exactly! Id say 90% of the people i know don't contribute positively to society! What the fuck does that mean anyway when every human spends their 90 years alive polluting and fucking up the planet.
Wretched_Colin@reddit
I’m sorry you are going through what you are, but reading your post makes me feel really positive for the fella.
You sound like you know exactly what his needs are. Calling him a dickhead sounds like he is challenging but you’re able to meet that challenge with a bit of humour but also realism.
I’d say he is lucky to have a parent like you. So many others aren’t.
ThinkIshatmyself@reddit
This is what people need to hear. My daughter is 3, and has downs. Our journey is only just beginning and although I'd not change her for love nor money, it's hard.
MissWiggleNjiggle1@reddit
I love how brutally honest you are, thank you
LytesHerbal1578@reddit
I love the honesty too. Parenting a child who is neurodivergent or otherwise disabled in some way is brutal.
MeringueSerious@reddit
My oldest boy is 8, autistic/learning disability. Absolutely hates his younger sisters because they're noisy (just being kids) lashes out at them and at me and his Mam all the time. Do I regret having kids? Absolutely not. My eldest boy has made my life is a living nightmare, and I haven't slept more than 7 hours in 8 years. But, I love all my children dearly, they're my absolute world.
Hazeygazey@reddit
Get your son some noise cancelling headphones or ordinary noise defenders. Kids noise defenders are about £15 on amazon
Morriganalba@reddit
My son is 9 and is autistic/ADHD/ld. I'm a single mum, his other parent is an abusive POS and my son is scared of him. My kid is the absolute light of my world and the only reason I'm still in it. He's so kind, funny, gives the best hugs, is incredibly empathetic, drives me completely daft 99% of the time and I wouldn't change him.
I don't regret having him, I just wish the world was a kinder, more understanding place for him. And if it isn't then I'll yell at it until something changes. I wish I was a better, less broken person for him. We only have each other so when things get really bad for me, I know I have to keep it together for him.
dbxp@reddit
Can you get him ear defenders or ear plugs?
MeringueSerious@reddit
Tried absolutely everything, he won't entertain them, thank you though
dbxp@reddit
Flare might be worth a look, they make these weird noises reduction plugs which some people swear by
I'm currently on the endless waiting list as an adult
MeringueSerious@reddit
I've never heard of them, but I'll look them up now. Thank you very much, appreciate it greatly
RelativeStranger@reddit
My eldest is 8 and also autistic /ld.
His younger brother is now 15 months. My eldest kicked out at my youngest the first time today. I told him off but I can tell he doesn't really understand what he did wrong.
Accomplished-Cook654@reddit
This sounds familiar! I have a similar age gap, and my asd son finds his toddler sister very challenging at time. Especially when she's just being a noisy, cute baby, or eating, which massively triggers him, or wanting to be on him.
RelativeStranger@reddit
Luckily for me my autistic son is more cuddly than the younger one so he can cope with my youngest climbing on him. He kicked out because the yc was yelling. A lot. Just having fun really not upset.
ExPristina@reddit
Feel you. In the same boat. Our twins are ASD, non-verbal with developmental learning delay. They recently got diagnosed with epilepsy and we’re waiting for them to reach the age where their ADHD symptoms can be confirmed. Some moments are great and some are just hell. My wife and I each sleep four hours a night to watch out for tonic-clonic seizures. It’s not much of a life for them or for us, but we can only keep going until our health gives out. My only regret in all of this is that they might not know ever know how much we love them.
drumschtitz@reddit
Not a neurologist. But, given their age, there is a better chance of developing and becoming seizure free as they get older. This completely depends on the cause of the seizures however. The array of medication available that can be used as trial and error however is vast.
ExPristina@reddit
Good to hear. Twin two developed a fever just last night and went into a&e where he had two more seizures. Violently refused water and ibuprofen. It took three nurses and my wife pinning him down to administer a suppository to get his fever down. Emailed neurologist so we might be looking to change dosage of his medication. Just another Monday!
drumschtitz@reddit
As I’m sure you know, keeping on top of progress and continually following up with NHS is the way to go. I hope you find the treatment that works for them.
ExPristina@reddit
Thanks 🫡
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
Man that sounds super tough. Mine don’t go to sleep until about 10pm but usually they will sleep quite well til about 7 so at least that’s something. Our current challenges is one of them has a meltdown whenever we try to put him in the car, and the other one is constantly trying to escape the house and run away. Those are the headline problems but there are a thousand other problems bubbling away at the same time
ExPristina@reddit
Hang in there. We don’t get to choose what kids we get, we choose what type of parent to be. Hope things get easier for you soon, you’re certainly not alone.
petrichor011@reddit
Mine is mid-twenties. It's been ups and downs, but overall we're in a far better place than twenty years ago...though I'm not sure she'll ever be able to live alone (she's not either, to be fair).
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
Thank you. How old are yours?
ExPristina@reddit
5.5 years
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
Mine will be 5 in a few months time
Richard__Papen@reddit
Re the epilepsy, might it be possible that one day the correct combination of meds will effectively end the fits? It was 30 years into my brother's epileptic life, not long after it was at its worst with two bad episodes of post-ictal psychosis that hospitalised him, that they tried him on Epilim in addition to his regular Lamotrigine and it worked wonders. Before the introduction of that new drug, he still had frequent fits despite the Lamotrigine.
ExPristina@reddit
Thanks for this!
beehiveigloo76@reddit
As a child I had uncontrolled epilepsy but years later it's well controlled and it's made a world of difference. Been on countless anti convulsants over the years but finally something is working.Good luck with your kid's treatment.
ExPristina@reddit
That’s good to hear - thanks 🙏
L4NGOS@reddit
Reading about situations like this sure gives one some perspective.
magicmango2104@reddit
They know. When they need you, you're there. Even if they can't express it they'll know
WiltshireWit@reddit
So many replies to this with people’s stories. I have a five year old, likely autistic (2.5 years wait for assessment so far), meltdowns are constant, lashing out, biting, hurting are all common occurrences. Every day is challenging. I have my wife though and I’m grateful for her. My mum passed away recently which means we have no effective restbite, and I’m not sure he fully understood her passing.
To those of you doing this solo, my hat is off to you. You’re doing amazingly.
heretek10010@reddit
Same my boy is intellectually disabled and seeing him try to play with kids his age and the looks of confusion on their faces breaks my heart. He is such a lovable kid too and always happy, I do genuinely worry about the future too because of the government's attacks on the disabled recently.
L4NGOS@reddit
My boy has a general speech disability and likely learning disabilities too. He's lagging behind his peers and it's only going to get worse as he get's older. Worrying about his future is damn near consuming me and I don't know how to relax and stop worrying.
Due_Ad_2411@reddit
What speech disorder does he have? My girl has Verbal Dyspraxia of speech and probable ADHD.
L4NGOS@reddit
English isn't my first language but he has an general speech disorder that affects his retention of words, ability to find the words he knows when I needs them, his ability to understand spoken instructions and his processing speed when spoken to.
His pronunciation is fine, always has been, but he struggles to find the right words or remember them at all and also struggles with most aspects of grammar. It's probably not so noticeable to people who only meet him briefly because he is so young still (just turned 6) but his language skills are at the level of a 3 or 4 year old. Happy guy though, outgoing, sociable and very liked by his pears. I'm just afraid my happy little boy will get dragged down and chewed up by the world and made to feel inadequate. Time will tell but the wait is eating me alive some days.
Silver-Appointment77@reddit
I hope it gets better with time. My grandson, who lives with me, and is still behind his peers, but is trying. i always thought he was going to be non verbal as he never spoke until he was around 6, and properly 8 after loads of speach therapy. He still cant say any word with th in it. He had a developmental delay too. His hand eye co-ordination is still low, same as his fine motor skills. Ive been waiting 3 years so far for a CAHMS appointment to diagnose him. But nothing yet. Hes 10. But is a really happy kids, and luckily some good friends.
Turtlespizza82@reddit
God this has made me tear up. You never think about these things I. E. You watching other children react negatively, that's just so sad and sounds so awful for you to have to see.
SilverArugula8816@reddit
There’s a lot of stigma regarding not wanting kids with special needs.
I say this as someone who’s autistic - although my parents were abusive, I wasn’t a delight either. I was very difficult, constant meltdowns, issues with good and clothes. They didn’t know I had autism, and my mum still doesn’t.
I certainly wouldn’t be able to handle it, and it’s good that people are now beginning to speak out about something as difficult and taboo. I’m sorry you’re struggling as much as you are, but know that by sharing your experience you’re helping others feel slightly less alone, and that’s amazing.
Professional_Net7907@reddit
Twins AND autism...??? You hit the weirdness lottery!
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
What a strange response
NYX_T_RYX@reddit
The second part of your last sentence is the worst imo.
Fortunately, I'm high functioning, it doesn't mean life isn't a struggle though. In fact often more so because people don't realise I'm different until I tell them.
I got lucky, my company is great at supporting everyone, regardless of who they are.
And my company have recently made a partnership with (I forget which) a major autism charity, both for our staff and customers.
We know we don't always get it right for everyone, but we're trying.
The world is getting better for us - eg Asda run a "quiet hour" in most (I believe all major) stores.
Sadly that quiet hour for my local is 1pm on a Thursday when I'm working... But I'm glad companies are making some effort to support people to live in a world that really isn't set up for us.
For what little it's worth from random internet guy, I'm sure you're doing great as a parent; being aware of the issues they may face is, imo, half the battle for supporting your kids ♥️
EndOfMyTetherr@reddit
Thank you random internet guy, that genuinely does make me feel a little better today
Kitty-Gecko@reddit
I have an Autistic son. He can get on OK to some degree in the world. He's verbal, he's smart, he's loving with me. But he is also very violent, very volatile, very socially phobic, very phobic of other things like flying insects, snakes, people in costumes, dogs, bare feet, smells, certain foods.... day to day life is gruelling. No one else can manage his needs so it's all me and his dad and we struggle to even give each other breaks between work and housework and parenting etc. He's like 50x more intense and sensitive than my friends' kids. I love him to pieces, I really dom I'd die for him to save for his life, no hesitation. He can be so sweet and funny. But I hate my life. I feel imprisoned. I am severely depressed and anxious. I feel deeply unsupported and misunderstood and terrified for his future.
I love him so much, it's hard to say "I regret having kids" so instead I would say that I am very unsuited to parenting, and I would be happier child free.
woman-reading@reddit
So many friends who had kids older than 35 have autistic kids … I am sure many factors though … I wonder did many have autism before and no one knew what it was … seems so common now
LubyJ83@reddit
I am in the same boat but my twins aren't identical. I love them dearly and I don't think I regret having them but life is going to be a struggle for us all and I've still not fully come to terms with that!
Particular-Current87@reddit
My youngest (1 of twins) is severely autistic. I thought parenting was hard, then we had our child with additional needs. I laugh at parents now who think they have it tough - and to be clear we know people whose children have far more extreme needs than ours so I'm not saying my boy is the toughest by any stretch
WeirdConfidence9997@reddit
No. Maybe I’m the exception, but I’ve never regretted having my daughter. I went through a very rough pregnancy and my health started declining after I got pregnant. And I would do it all again just to have her here. I’m a stay at home mom and me and my daughter both have special needs, but this job is for me. The best job in the world. Don’t get me wrong. It’s definitely not easy, but I absolutely love my daughter and she’s my best friend.
I have V-EDS, and I’m not sure how much time I honestly have. I just try to make every day worth it. Growing up my parents were really angry at me all the time and just constantly yelled and I still deal with very severe anxiety issues. My entire childhood I could not trust any people around me and I desperately hope that I can raise my child differently. My grandma raised me mostly, and she was the one exception to this. She always made me feel like I could do things that everybody else told me I would never be able to do and she always had faith in me. I constantly think about her when I wake up every day and she gives me inspiration. I need to be a good mom.
660trail@reddit
i didn't have kids, but I'm pretty sure I would have regretted it. I'm really thankful I didn't have any.
PoppySkyPineapple@reddit
Likewise, I’m 33 and have never wanted them. I know I would regret it if I did. It’s impossible to get sterilised though.
emchocolat@reddit
r/childfree might be able to help. I got my sterilisation through their list of doctors who will do the procedure.
PoppySkyPineapple@reddit
Thanks :)
KinManana@reddit
I assume you're a woman? As a man I just explained to the doctor I didn't want kids and the snip was booked!
Thebonebed@reddit
I asked for sterilization when I was 32yrs old and was advised 'you're too young' [England]. I moved up to Scotland the following year, asked my doc about it. Also explained I didn't want these new procedures where you stay awake for it. I want the one where you fully knock me out thank you.
Sterilized 6months later, around my 33rd birthday sometime. I always tell people I got myself neutered/spayed ahahaha
PoppySkyPineapple@reddit
Another reason to add to my list for moving to Scotland!
Thebonebed@reddit
Never regretted it and will never go back to England. Ever. My kids refuse to even consider England Universities bc of the hate they've received in England (lgbtqi and being Asian during covid)
I got a proper psychiatrist when I got here. Got my dyslexia/adhd/autism diagnosed here after 30yrs of questions. Got referred for a breast lump immediately and scanned. Can't fault our Scottish NHS at all. They've done good by me for nearly 10yrs 😊
PoppySkyPineapple@reddit
I’m trying to convince my partner so possibly in the next ten years it will hopefully happen :)
Silver-Appointment77@reddit
I know how you feel. Although mine was because I didnt want any more kids. Id had enough. Took years for them even think about sterilising me. I had to go through 3 rounds of sitting in a room with doctors asking me what happened if my partner died, and met someone else, or if one of my kids had an accident and passed away and all sort of horrible questions. In the end the doctors was happy with my answers and booked me in when i was 29, thankfully. Took 2 years of question before they allowed it though. And it was the best thing ever. Im in North East England.
Thebonebed@reddit
I'm glad you were able to pursue it and put the pressure on them. Me and my kiddos joke about if I'd had to wait/gotten pregnant again I'd have literally lost the plot. I was just so done having kids.
Silver-Appointment77@reddit
Thanks. The daft thing is, I ended up with another kid, at 47. My grandson. He was 2, when my daughter realised she was too young to give him the life she had. So asked me to take him. Im now his legal guardian, and hes now 10. But hes a good kid, and love him like my own.
ambientfruit@reddit
I'm going through peri-men currently but my god I wish I could have done that. Of course when I asked it was refused immediately. Three times.
Thebonebed@reddit
I wish medical professionals would just believe women when they say they don't want more. As if some singular event is going to just make us all go 'omg yeah I want another baby now!'
The4kChickenButt@reddit
I'm 31. Everyone around me is having kids, friends, family, etc. Not a single one has a positive thing to say about being a parent. They just complain all thr time, It really reinforces my opinion of never wanting kids.
SignificantAd866@reddit
lols this made me laugh a bit. So I have three sons (18 years, 7 and 4) so this year the scale tips for me and I‘ll have been a parent for longer that I haven’t been 🤯 (wild for me to think of that) but I love it. My childhood was meh not anything awful but I was an only child from divorced parents that’s honestly I don’t think gave f*^k about me - being a parent has been incredibly healing in that respect. Absolute joy in so many experiences with them (like weekend buying a new blow up pool and splashing each other with the freezing cold water - doesn’t sound fun but we laughed so hard splashing each other ) but sure there are days which just suck with them (or just things like food shopping can be awful). On the whole though been brilliant - would recommend
Amazing_Estate3666@reddit
Better to regret not having kids than to regret having them.
whatislife5522@reddit
Yeah if you regret not having them it’s only you affected but if you have them and regret them then there are multiple people affected
georgiaajamess22@reddit
What an interesting way of putting it, il be saying this next time I’m asked
Amazing_Estate3666@reddit
Her are a whole list of similar questions and relevant answers, some serious and some snarky.
https://www.reddit.com/r/childfree/wiki/answers/
georgiaajamess22@reddit
Amazing! Thank you
BaBeBaBeBooby@reddit
Always regret something you do do, not something you don't do
Scottland89@reddit
As a child of a regretful parent, who, has committed to a child-free life as I realised I'm too much like that regretful parent, I 100% agree.
roidbro1@reddit
/r/regretfulparents agrees there!
660trail@reddit
Quite
ArstotzkaHero@reddit
Me too, glad I didn't have any but I get downvoted for saying it usually.
MrsLibido@reddit
Lol same, ironically you get parents going on about how this subreddit is "aggressively childfree" constantly. I don't see it. Whenever I say I don't have kids and I'm glad I don't I get downvoted haha
ArstotzkaHero@reddit
Oh I didn't know anyone said that about it being aggresively child free. There's a heck of a lot of bitter mentally ill guys projecting their pain. I guess the same for kids, because they love kids (or say they do, tell your face because everyone seems miserable and complainey) you must have to love them too.
The truth is there's biological incentives to make you love the kid in order to care for them, a drug prevents a mother remembering the pain of childbirth, caring is deeply ingrained and so on and so on. I think it's probably in part explained by chemical delusion, as many things are.
MrsLibido@reddit
I think some of the parents on here have this idea that reddit is full of angry childfree people who are trying to rub it into their faces or something. It's like a strange way to cope. A simple statement like "I'm happy I decided not to have children, I think I'd live a very miserable existence with children" seems to piss people off a lot and they insist it's not what I'm actually thinking but an "anti kid" propaganda I bought into. One of the top comments in this thread goes on about how "reddit hates children".
I completely agree with your observations, it makes sense to want to love the kid when it's already here and you can't do much about it. It also makes perfect sense to question why someone who looks like they aged 10 years in the span of 10 months from sleep deprivation and stress, doesn't have time for self care, loses their entire personality and has no money left for their own basic needs would have a robotic smile on their face and why their mantra is "it's the hardest thing ever and I feel like dying everyday but I wouldn't change it for the world".
I don't doubt there's people who genuinely love being parents but the majority of the "I don't regret it but... proceeds to describe an absolute nightmare of an existence" comments on here read like Stockholm syndrome more than anything else.
ArstotzkaHero@reddit
Ah yeah I know what you mean. It's like they can't possibly imagine a world where people don't think exactly the same way they do so instead of just accepting that their love and outlook is subjective and therefore conditional, they come up with excuses to reverse engineer any possible reasons to explain how they're correct and their viewpoint is the only possible valid one. In this instance that the thoughts I/we think must be supplanted by some evil cabal of elite ne'er-do-wells who have an agenda of infiltrating and weaking society by deliberate disinformation campaigns to brainwash the populus. The unfortunate side effect of delusional processes like this is conveniently dismissing the idea of debating someones actual points, as now they've become a puppet for these shadow manipulators, the resultant intentions of their words has suddenly become something to vehemently fight back against with dogmatic nothingisms of their own.
This real life not a movie! I don't want kids and one of my biggest fears for society at large is absolute delusion as outlined above, if this is how debates happen we're all fucking fucked, basically. 😆
teukkichu@reddit
Haha me too. I am still fairly young and single rn, and I actually find that most guys I talk to do want kids in the future. I have always been dead set on never wanting children, so I am a bit awkward when asking boys early on if they want kids or not 😳 I wouldn't want to be with someone who doesn't share the sane mindset and similarly, if they do want kids I would hate to string them along and not be the right person for then
feetflatontheground@reddit
That's the kind of thing that needs to be brought up early. It's not something that you can compromise on.
ambientfruit@reddit
I had the same anxiety in my youth but my god it's liberating when you find someone that aligns with you. I was in a very long relationship for a while there and in the beginning I said if he wanted kids, he'd have to leave because it wouldn't be with me.
Set your boundaries firmly and have no shame in doing so.
660trail@reddit
Sadly, too many couples don't have that conversation before they get married and then they end up in conflict because one partner doesn't want kids.
My own father didn't want kids but lied to my mother and then tried to put her off having kids. Obviously, it didn't work in the long run, but it didn't work out well.
You're very wise to be honest and to address the issue before getting into a committed relationship. Don't feel awkward, it's the right thing to do. And don't get talked into having kids when you know you don't want them. You'll end up understandably resenting them and hating yourself.
feetflatontheground@reddit
Same here. I think my mental health would've deteriorated.
perkiezombie@reddit
Literally and if I get to the point where I’m like actually I want one and can’t, I’ll adopt.
Reading some of the stories from parents in the thread is actually giving more Stockholm syndrome than being genuine happy with their lives which, objectively speaking, literally no one would choose.
ThickPhilosophy8755@reddit
Same. I don't have them and I am afraid to have them. I am disabled and don't want to have my kids go through what i had to face
Humorous-Prince@reddit
Same, I don’t plan on it either, especially in this day and age. Living cost are getting worst, retirement age will be scrapped in 30-50 years, people will be working till they die, the world is dying and the resources are dying out with it. You cannot solve the climate crisis when the population keeps growing.
JohnArcher965@reddit
What if your kid came up with the solution? You can't solve any problems, except maybe all of them, if there are no people.
Sterrss@reddit
Ironically, you've got things the wrong way around. Things are getting worse precisely because of demographic change due to low birth rates.
In most parts of the world, lack of births is a huge problem, not the other way around. Look at the current situations in lots of parts of East Asia, and soon, Western Europe. The global population is expected to peak relatively soon.
An aging population will be far, far worse at tackling climate change than a more evenly distributed one. This demographic trend can be credited with a whole bunch of poor climate policy decisions.
Retirement will cease to exist and living standards will worsen without young people to do the actual work (let's set aside AI for now).
Aside from that, many of the problems you are highlighting can be directly attributed to either an aging population or worsening wealth inequality, which is a topic for another time.
hal2142@reddit
Especially as 90%+ of climate change is caused by several corporations who have no intentions of lowering it and saving the planet. They only care about profit. It’s very sad. However I do think that humans always seem to find a way.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Humans can find a way when it comes to war and disease, but not climate change. Climate change is physics and non-negotiable. We’ve already crossed numerous tipping points and it’s highly likely that there will be a massive global population die-off by 2050 due to food and water shortages.
hal2142@reddit
Makes me really want a child
ambientfruit@reddit
This. I'm 42 and never once regretted being childfree. I raised my sister so I did all my parenting before the age of 18 which definitely contributed. I love my niece and nephews but my god I couldn't do it.
nehakaral@reddit
I’m very afraid I’ll regret having to em so have chosen not to. If they have a disability I’d blame myself every day for having brought them into a world that’s already 90% unkind
Voltorbs_Anus@reddit
depends. I dont regret that I have a kid, but i do regret that we had him at the wrong time in our lives
Agreeable_Fig_3713@reddit
Nah. I do tend to moan about the less than stellar stuff that comes with being a mum but honestly I’d just be a fucking drunk without them.
It was easier with my older kids coz I was younger and all my friends were having kids at the same time so my social life never took a hit but I sometimes feel a bit isolated with my youngest because I’ve got a massive age gap. So now all my pals kids are mostly grown and they’re off having girls holidays and gigs and festivals and I’m moaning to strangers on the internet about the youngest ones croup.
When I had my older kids all us mums would still go for a bar lunch and a few drinks, we’d just pick pubs with softplay. We’d take all the kids to the park or the beach and have adult conversations while they played. We’d go round each others houses and have coffee or wine while the kids played with each other. I don’t regret them at all and I love being a mum and family time but I wish I’d had them all in my 20s and close together rather than my last one mid 30s.
TheMediumPatrol@reddit
Nobody will admit it, but it’s very clear a hell of a lot of people do just by looking at their face while they drag their small demons around in public.
Swerving that bullet tyvm.
aggromidg3t@reddit
Of all the things I regret in my life, having kids is definitely not one of them, no matter how demanding they are or how much trouble they cause, nothing can ever bring as much joy to my life as they do
sunflowergirrrl@reddit
My daughter is three and half. It’s been difficult and an adjustment, as I look after her almost completely alone. I don’t regret having her, I love her more than anything and she has made me the best version of myself. However, if I had a do over of my life, I don’t know if I’d choose to have kids at all. I didn’t realise how little support I’d have. I had to give up my career, my whole person has changed entirely. This is the reality I have now and I have learned to love my life. Loving my daughter was never a question, she is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But in an alternate reality, maybe I wouldn’t have chosen this path. Does that make sense?
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
That sounds like regrets, you just don't want to admit it.
noicen@reddit
I don’t have kids and I know I’d regret/hate it if I did. No freedom, no money, and way too much noise. It sounds selfish but I know I’d make a terrible parent and don’t want to fuck up a kid.
savvymcsavvington@reddit
The only thing that's selfish imo is people that have kids without spending a good amount of time thinking it through and planning
It can also be considered an accident though
PMme-YourPussy@reddit
We have a bortion till 24 weeks. The pregnancy might be an accident the child isn't.
discombobulatededed@reddit
I don’t think that is selfish at all, quite the opposite. If you don’t think you’d be a good parent and choose not to have kids, that’s quite self aware and fair. I think I feel the same, I’ve never been particularly maternal and I loved uninterrupted sleep. Not sure if I’d be a good parent and haven’t met anyone I’d want children with anyway so haven’t had any.
nord_sword1711@reddit
This is the exact opposite of selfish
Selenium-Forest@reddit
Not selfish at all, it’s really selfless to recognise that you’re not capable of being a good parent, I’m not having them for the exact reason.
What would be selfish is being self aware enough to recognise that’s the pattern of your behaviour and having kids anyway. Only people who really want to be parents should have kids, unfortunately a lot of people become crappy parents because they just have them because it’s “the thing you do”.
Hour_Personality_411@reddit
Nah, it gives me the greatest joy. Wish I’d had them sooner.
BeccasBump@reddit
Same - my only regret is that I had mine late (at 38 and 41), then was hit with a BRCA2 diagnosis, so bye bye ovaries. If I'd had them earlier and known how fulfilling it would be, I would have had another couple once my youngest started school.
Hour_Personality_411@reddit
I am a male but we had our children at the same ages, 38 and 41. Not ideal but due to the way society is set up I was nowhere near ready in my 20s or 30s. I will make sure my kids understand that having kids earlier in life is optimal instead of pissing away years going out and waking up with hangovers.
I’m sorry to hear about your issues but I’m sure it’s made you even more grateful for what you have.
BeccasBump@reddit
To be fair, there's a certain element of pie-in-the-sky to it, because I don't think I would have been as good a mother in my 20s as I am in my 40s, and perhaps as a result I wouldn't have loved it so much either, who knows.
Regardless, yes, I am very grateful for what I have 😊
Hour_Personality_411@reddit
You’re probably right. I think it’s good to instil into our children what we have learnt though. Unfortunately not only will we be older parents but we will also be older grandparents or not grandparents at all depending on when our kids have children of their own.
SingChetney@reddit
It’s the sheer noise that I hate, but it’s like a J curve or Nike tick, it becomes amazing after 2 to 3 years old. Money isn’t a problem, you just buy different stuff and it’s kinda fun to lean into it and get involved making LEGO and racing hot wheels. Schools become stressful, you forget how shit some (most) teachers are until you have to deal with them again and then pretend to be polite and grateful for their intervention and advice. There are so many cool moments and cuddles and the stuff they say LOL it’s just, you haven’t fully lived until you’ve had kids. To care so much about something that is outside of yourself and your own utility maximisation, and it takes honest work on yourself. It’s not for everyone. I used to think it’s not for me. So yes there are times I regret it and there are times I absolutely love it and on balance, it was the right call because I have the right wife and life circumstances.
ClarifyingMe@reddit
You gave very little details but if there's any chance your friend has post partum depression?
cinammoncurves@reddit (OP)
I think she may have for a while. She seems better now but mostly misses living life on her own terms and not having a life that constantly revolves around a baby. Unfortunately she lives in another city and doesn't have much help.
ClarifyingMe@reddit
Postpartum depression can intensify those feelings.
I cannot remember the good resource I saw about ppd but if anyone else can share any good ones they know, maybe you could broach it with your friend?
I don't know your relationship.
I hope they can recovery it's such a lonely condition.
Possible_Laugh_9139@reddit
Never wanted or had kids. I knew for myself being parents was not for me, and for a long time I wasn’t in place where I would consider I would be a good parent.
My own mum cared more about herself than either me or sibling, would never want to have a child to have similar experiences. Even though, you can break the cycle, didn’t feel for right for me or potential child.
No matter family set up, single, couple parenting is incredibly hard work, with a lot of ups and down. There can be great joy from having kids. Prefer being an aunt, where you can give them back.
Panjo98@reddit
Reading this and the comments made me so glad I have no children
imminentmailing463@reddit
Got a six month old. Not for one second. It's the greatest and most life affirming thing I've ever done. Even in the hardest moments when we were back in hospital a couple of times or when he was screaming all night, I've never regretted it.
That's not to say those bits aren't hard. But the joy he brings outweighs those bits by an incalculable amount.
girlsthataregolden@reddit
If kids stayed 6 months old id have 10 🤣 easy peasy compared to rhe teen years amd beyond
EngineerPlayful9541@reddit
Our son just turned 6 months and yea pretty much agree with what you say. Its probably the best feeling in the world. When im holding him and he sometimes just turns his head up towards me and just looks at me and then smiles, ah my god I cant describe it apart from its the most precious thing ever. Honestly sometimes I actually get a little emotional just looking at him because of the joy he brings us. Yea its hard sometimes, like hes teething now so nights are not the best but regret? Not even the slightest.
lumpnsnots@reddit
I echo all of this.
Mine are now 3, 7 and 8. It gets easier as they get older, or at least less all time consuming in that I can sit in the garden and do my own thing without needing to join in with their play.
Bigtallanddopey@reddit
I cannot wait till mine are more self sufficient. They are 2&3 now and you don’t get much time to yourself during the day. You also have to make that choice of, do I let them nap and have an hour or so to myself, or do we keep them awake and have a better time getting them to sleep.
Bubble2905@reddit
I feel this deeply!
Sorry-Badger-3760@reddit
It depends on personality too. My eldest is 8 and still really likes to do things together. My five year old can play alone and my almost four year old is a clingon. But they all get there. Even the youngest sits and does puzzles and art herself for a bit.
poutiney@reddit
It really isn’t far off now. Ours just turned 5 and she will independently play plenty (although still likes us to help out some times).
AncilliaryAnteater@reddit
When did you have yours?
longtermbrit@reddit
I'm going to guess somewhere around 2021, 2017, and 2016, give or take a year.
AncilliaryAnteater@reddit
God bless them all
modumberator@reddit
they're way more fun when they get older too
andyissuperman@reddit
I’ve got a 10 month old and can say all the above is true, no matter how hard it is you just get those little smiles and chuckles and it makes it absolutely worth it.
Another thing is watching them develop he’s now crawling around the house playing with his toys and pulling himself up on furniture it just makes me feel so proud that he’s learning new things.
NorthernSoul1977@reddit
Absolutely. Especially here in the U - , we always enjoy a bit of a moan and I often joke about the domestic hell at home, but in reality becoming a dad was the most profoundly life affirming experience I've ever had. I'm not a traditionally religious guy - i'm usually pretty cynical, but genuinely feel blessed to have to happy, healthy little shits sharing our lives.
I think I play it down because some people that might want kids can't have the, so it feels intensive to talk about something that isn't attainable (or indeed desirable) to everyone.
Born_Reveal_8449@reddit
Lol 6 months just wait untill they are walking around running wherever they want and having paddies if they have any kind of slight inconvenience
Natural-Confusion885@reddit
Rip echo chamber downvoted you to fuck. Your point is entirely valid, just because they're fine when they can literally do nothing doesn't mean they'll be fine for the next 17.5 years lol. Regretting having children is a normal and valid feeling that plenty of people experience, with the stigma around it overall creating poorer outcomes for everyone involved in the child's life.
imminentmailing463@reddit
Given Reddit is hardly a bastion of pro-children attitudes, I don't think they've been downvoted because of an echo chamber. They've been downvoted because it's a condescending thing to say. It's weirdly normalised to say it about parenting, but that doesn't make it not condescending.
They've also been downvoted because their comment initially said wait until they get older and you're getting 3 hours sleep a night. As if parents or newborns are somehow unfamiliar with that. I note they've now deleted that point without acknowledging it. Tells you everything you need to know.
Cute-Profile5025@reddit
Not really, you have a kid until you die. For most people thats like 60 years after their child is born. Weighing in when the child is 6 months old is comically uninformed.
imminentmailing463@reddit
By that logic, that person is also comically uninformed. And they're therefore being condescending based on being comically uninformed.
33_pyro@reddit
I don't know why you're being downvoted. A kid that age just eats and shits. When they're 6 and you've been kept up until 3am every night for a fortnight from screaming the house down at bedtime see how you feel then.
budapest_budapest@reddit
They’re being downvoted because “just you wait” to someone enjoying an experience is a shitty thing to say. The only reason to say it is to mock them or make them worry about something that might
And you’re just being plain stupid pretending that only older children give you a bad nights sleep. I was up more with my <6 month old infant than I’ve ever been since.
imminentmailing463@reddit
I notice they've deleted that bit without acknowledging it. Classy move.
BaseballFuryThurman@reddit
Why do Redditors absolutely love saying "I don't know why you're being downvoted"? Do you get paid commission for the phrase?
33_pyro@reddit
Because all it takes is other redditors to see a post on -1 or -2 and they downvote because they're following the trend, not because they actually understand what they're doing.
This is a problem that has existed on reddit since the beginning. The score after the first few minutes usually determines if it's well received or downvoted to oblivion.
_TomDavis_@reddit
Kids are all different. It may shock you to learn that there are parents of new born babies that have been up until 3am every night for much longer than a fortnight.
Born_Reveal_8449@reddit
Who knows but that's exactly my point
4321zxcvb@reddit
Paddies ?
TheGreatBatsby@reddit
Having a tantrum
YazmindaHenn@reddit
Tantrum
The-big-snooze@reddit
Potato phase 😂😂🤣
HotKaleidoscope6804@reddit
Mines 5 months and I feel the same. He was born very premature (he was due at the end of Jan, came at the start of December) and we had to fight to save his life for a month.
The immediate, unimaginable joy he gave us and the absolute terror we felt daily at the thought of losing him solidified that kids were the right option for us.
There are hard moments - both our parents & siblings live in Australia, and we’re completely alone. When my son was 2.5 hrs away in hospital? It was so hard. I didn’t leave for a month and my husband sobbed every time he had to leave us. There were a few times where my husband was so tired and couldn’t drive - we really needed an extra pair of hands to help us.
I’m 23 - and got blessed with my boy after surviving 4x brain tumours and all the shii that came with it. He really did save my life.
Careful-Increase-773@reddit
6-9 months apart from the sleep regressions is my favourite age, they’re so bloody happy and cute at that age
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Also if you go on about how wonderful it is people get annoyed and want you to shut up. I think people actually prefer/feel more comfortable around people who are complaining about something rather than revelling in how joyous their life is. Plus when things are tough, complaining and venting helps. When things are great there’s not such a need to talk about it.
The first time my kid came and asked me for a ‘cuggle’ aaaahhhhhh, there’s nothing like it. Seeing a human being go from a little sleepy blob to figuring out their limbs and making sense of the world is endlessly fascinating. And the love hormones that are like drugs.
Also it gets better and better, especially when they start talking and understanding you, you’re gonna love it!
BeccasBump@reddit
I've actually found it quite lonely (? not quite the right word) not being able to share just how much I love parenthood. It feels shitty and unkind when other parents are clearly miserable, but then you're in this weird situation of being overjoyed by your children but having to keep it on the down-low. Or feeling you have to qualify every happy little story with, "Of course it's hard, but..."
My only complaint is that my newborn daughter is about to turn six, which is clearly nonsense.
CandleAffectionate25@reddit
100% … my sisters just had a baby and we do everything we can just to see him smile and it is MAGIC. Congratulations xx
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Sorry but why are you saying congratulations? Look at the world. War, pandemics, climate change? Hello? Do you not see reality?
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
They stuff has always been around. Are you saying the human species should just eschew the laws of nature and die out?
Serious_Reply_5214@reddit
reddit moment
CommercialFennel3840@reddit
100%. Seeing my daughter smile is the best feeling in the world.
AncilliaryAnteater@reddit
Beautifully put, when did you have yours?
longtermbrit@reddit
Around November 2023, I'd say.
Affectionate-Hat9244@reddit
Oxford Phd. I presume?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Why did you have a kid when there is war, pandemics, climate change?
longtermbrit@reddit
What part of my response made you think I've had children?
poppalopp@reddit
Because bad shit has been happening since the dawn of humanity.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
So you’re fully aware that life is dangerous and there’s a strong chance something bad could happen to your kid, but fuck him/her because bad shit has always happened?
Btw, climate change has never happened. This is extinction level stuff.
ConJack93@reddit
The climate changes constantly as time goes on. It has done so since the dawn of Earth. This current change isn’t unlike previous warming periods. It may be slightly exacerbated by humans though.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Just because bad things happen in life, it doesn't mean life isn't worth living
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
That’s your opinion. Your kid may not feel that way. Please check out /r/antinatalism
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
I know about that philosophy and it's dumb. Only a small fraction of the population subscribe to antinatalism, so why should nobody have children if the majority of people will want to live? It doesn't make sense
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Is killing 1 person ok because the majority are still alive? I don’t get it. Either you’re against suffering or you’re not
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Yes, obviously lol
Again your thinking is SO black and white, it's crazy
poppalopp@reddit
We had an ice age bro and people still had fuckin’ babies.
Stop worrying about what other people do. If you wanna help the planet and reduce the population, you can do it right now. Off a bridge 👋
klosterheim1@reddit
Every time I see my 5 month baby laugh, I get a tear in my eye
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Why did you have a baby when there’s a high chance of world war, pandemics, climate change?
bowak@reddit
What a 14 year old edge lord take!
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
How is that a 14 year old edge lord take 🤡
Lookupdownthenleft@reddit
I love you
JAJM_@reddit
This 100%
Have a 2.5 year old and 8 month old. It’s hard AF. But seeing them happy makes everything worth it.
My 2.5 year old is my best fiend. We love annoying each other so much.
mustbekiddingme82@reddit
I have three autistic teenagers. 90% of the time it's more like a job than a family. It's exhausting being a carer. It's also extremely difficult in a society where the government are unashamedly targeting disabled people. I also have a horrible fear of death, and feel guilty having kids, knowing they will one day die.
foalsfoalsfoalz@reddit
excusing the ignorance and lack of knowledge behind this but how does that happen 3 times?, is it purely a genetic thing because you/SO have autism or is it something else or is it genuine 1 in a million case?
mustbekiddingme82@reddit
Very likely me. I went for a test about 12 years ago, but pulled out because my kids school at the time found out, and decided it was the reason they were struggling in school, not because they weren't in the right setting.
shinnon@reddit
I have a baby girl. 13 months old.
She was planned but I still didn't really feel emotionally ready all the way up until I heard her first cry when she "popped" out.
From then on every day has been amazing watching her grow. She learns something new every week and making her giggle is the best thing in the world.
But It's not easy. Far from it. And there are days where I struggle to be my best self and so in a way. I can see where they are coming from. But I exist purely to enable this child to have the best chance in life and so I turn up each and every day.
It's not a choice.
swirlypepper@reddit
I'm happily child free and love my life. I've got a fantastic husband and am so glad I get to throw myself fully into a career I'm passionate about. I'm 37 and currently zero regrets, don't anticipate any popping up either.
My best friend was told she couldn't have children and was happy enough with the idea of a child free life compared to ivf etc. She got a surprise pregnancy aged 35 (found out 4 months in!) and had a healthy baby girl - she was instantly smitten. Within 5 months her life was completely turned upside down but in the best way, she wouldn't have it any other way. I love being involved in their lives too!
All my other parent friends are equally delighted to be parents. I don't know if it's easier to see when I knew them pre parenthood - but the trying and the wishing and the contentment is next level. They grumble as that's a surface thought AND because some people find it just as dull to hear about the magic of someone else's child's little moments and milestones. Any parent will flip through 1000 photos chronicling baby's first fart if you really get them going - it's just that outsiders don't care that much. But saying I'm tired, I'm skint, the house is a mess - more universally accepted chit chat.
Also non parents might see parents as "losing themselves" but really they're shifting priorities as is appropriate and it's only while kids are really small. If the relationship means enough for you, accept that it's a small blip in the 80odd years we're alive for - they're going to want to engage as adults again but being in a temporary whirlwind of nappies and cartoons and stress over weaning is not the same as regret.
Complex-Client2513@reddit
OP: Do you regret having kids?
Bunch of fucking entitled Redditors: I don’t regret NOT having kids.
Sums up Reddit perfectly I guess.
Houseofsun5@reddit
r/regretfulparents
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
It's good to see that Reddit has such good resources for people struggling with their expanded identity in a transitional time in their lives.
lol no it's a shitshow
FabianFox@reddit
I mean, where else can people admit these things? Therapists are expensive and some people are even too embarrassed to admit something like the to a therapist because that’s not truly anonymous.
DC38x@reddit
It can't be that bad..
Ooookay then
TheocraticAtheist@reddit
I get overwhelmed at times but never to the level of that sub. Jesus Christ I feel depressed now
moosebeast@reddit
I left the parenting subs I used to hang around on because they were actually becoming quite emotionally draining with all the posts from people who were not coping. You think these places are going to be good for advice and support but often they're just people venting. Still they weren't as bad as that one.
SwollenEasterEgg@reddit
Not going to look. I can already imagine the cesspit.
Intrepid_Lion2581@reddit
This sub is depressing AF but I think it's a really good resource. Firstly it helps mums know that having moments of regret is normal and they're not a monster. Secondly, anyone thinking of having kids young should just take 5minutes reading up on how many young women had dreams, wanted kids at some point and then suddenly were 20yo, married, 2 kids and no life for the next 16~ years and are now stuck in a life they hate.
birds-0f-gay@reddit
I feel bad for the parents and their children, god what a depressing sub
Good0times@reddit
Cursed subs
Smooth-Routine-6363@reddit
god looking into that sub made me sick
33_pyro@reddit
ok
yorkspirate@reddit
My friend doesn’t regret having kids but she has said if she could go back she wouldn’t have had them.
She’s an absolutely amazing mother and it’s her honesty that makes us such good friends
Sister_Ray_@reddit
so she does regret having kids? 🤪
TheRaven9@reddit
It’s a bit of an odd one as I know exactly what they mean.
My daughter challenges me to be a better person. She brings me so much joy and has unlocked so many things that I didn’t know was there.
However, she has changed my life drastically. I’m not sure right now whether this is something - if given the choice - that I would want to continue.
It’s hard to explain and I’m explaining it very badly! I don’t regret having her but equally I would welcome my old life back.
FabianFox@reddit
I think this is regret but you feel too guilty to admit that
skwinkler@reddit
I know this feeling. I always talk about happiness. I was an overall happier person before a child happened. I was moderately happy across different aspects of life. Now I'm very happy in the parenting situation but not really happy in other aspects. So whist parenting is great and brings a lot of happiness, the overall amount has actually decreased...
Cold_Ebb_1448@reddit
I know exactly what you mean
Miss-Figgy@reddit
Yes, but how can one say that when the kid is already here lol? I know SO MANY parents like this: "I don't regret my kids, but if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't." Lol
BeccasBump@reddit
What does she think "regret" means?
beedawg85@reddit
Is it not possible to be conscious that you would do something differently, if given a second chance, but not live day to day in regret of that decision? I think it is.
BeccasBump@reddit
I think it's one thing to say, "If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have had children" (and that doesn't necessarily indicate regret).
I think it's quite another to say, "If I could turn back time, I would choose not to have my children" (which seems like more or less the definition of regret).
beedawg85@reddit
I think the key difference here is whether you want to turn back time or just hypothetically if you could turn back time. In any case, we don’t have to speculate given we know this person already has confirmed they don’t regret it.
BeccasBump@reddit
This person has said if they could turn back time they would choose for their children not to exist. That's regret (and, frankly, awful - I hope to god they never learn she said that).
beedawg85@reddit
Cool. Well, I’m going to trust the reported words of the actual person experiencing these feelings rather than some random pedant off the internet obsessing over semantics but thanks all the same!
PainfullyEnglish@reddit
I once heard that regret is for the things you didn’t do, remorse is for the things you did do.
BeccasBump@reddit
Remorse is for something you did that was morally wrong. Regret is more morally neutral - you can regret doing a moral wrong, but you can also regret not buying a dress or doing something that made you look silly or even something you didn't cause to happen at all, e.g. "I regret that Pavarotti died before I could see him perform."
usefuledge2@reddit
It's almost impossible for people who regret having children to actually admit it. Almost as if by vocalising the confession they've committed a crime. I've met a handful of people who've told me they regret their decision but I suspect there are many more like them.
No_Excitement4272@reddit
I hear this from a lot of parents.
simonscott@reddit
Zero regrets, she’s amazing 🤩
EqualTune4587@reddit
Nope. I complain allllll the time but I love those little bastards and however hard it is, I wouldn't change them. I am looking forward to them getting a bit more independent though so I can get a bit of me time! It's relentless when they're little (my 3 year old is now slightly more independent but the baby understandably wants someone pretty much all the time).
BasicallyClassy@reddit
I had an unplanned pregnancy and had a baby at 19. Raising him was HARD. There were days I wondered if it would have been better if I'd made a different choice. But he's grown and flown now and no, I don't regret it. It was the most meaningful and impactful thing I'll ever do in my life. I probably wouldn't have had kids if he hadn't come along so I'm eternally grateful that he did.
xxhamsters12@reddit
Reading through these comments has essentially consolidated my opinion on having kids. It sounds like life on the highest difficulty
ramxquake@reddit
There's a bit of a selection bias as to the sorts of people who post here. Reddit has a huge bias towards people who aren't keen on family, aren't close to their parents, big into consumerism etc. Bear that in mind when people tell you how hard raising children is. In the real world, millions have children and just get on with it.
xxhamsters12@reddit
I was just stating my opinion, I have never wanted kids before this I’ve seen them screaming in public for no reason. I just never want kids. If you want kids then so be it do what you want but I simply don’t.
I also have many other reasons to why I don’t want them which I don’t have to share.
RoundAd5420@reddit
Then you are reading it incorrectly.
It’s basically ‘Normal’ difficulty. If it was somehow more difficult then none of us would be here.
Lots of people in this thread with no children saying they didn't regret the choice even though the question wasn’t actually directed at them.
Maybe they should go throw a stick for their much beloved ‘disposable after 12y children’ or Doggo’s as they seem to call them.
Intrepid_Lion2581@reddit
Given the large majority of responses are "I have kids, I don't regret it but I is very hard" I don't even know what your comment is banging on about.
Are you one of these people who think those who don't live your life choice is wrong? Hating on people for having dogs is a little odd, maybe you should look into yourself and why it makes you so upset for a while.
Full_Employee6731@reddit
I wouldn't go that far. It's more like going back to GTA without cheats after you've used the infinite lives and money hack.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
Nah. There are much, much, much harder things in life. You just have to be willing to get off the settee and work for something.
AdrenalineAnxiety@reddit
I would never for a moment say I regretted having my child but it is relentless and I think it puts a lot of people (me included) into survival mode. The hard bits are well worth it for the child I have, but I will say we are firmly one and done (with vasectomy to boot) and although I sometimes experience desire for a second child, I have no intention of increasing the difficulty of my life any further.
I feel like I could have stepped over the line and been regretful if we'd had multiple children, but that's just taking into account my mental/physical health, life balance and finances. One is just perfect for me.
pineappleshampoo@reddit
I’ve definitely noticed amongst friends, those with two or more kids seem to really struggle. I know someone with four who complains constantly about how hard it is and how useless their partner is… same partner for all four so does make you think!
ramxquake@reddit
That cuts both ways. Only having one child is easier for the parents, but very lonely and boring for the child.
h4baine@reddit
Maybe it's because I come from a 2 kid, 2 parent household but I've never understood why as a parent you'd want to be outnumbered. That sounds like playing on extra hard mode.
blodauwedd@reddit
Good God, how long did it take you to get in my head and write so precisely about my life
mat_caves@reddit
I am with you on all of this, also feel very much like have reached capacity with one. Interestingly though I think there are some people who just thrive on chaos who do well with loads of kids. A buddy of mine has five kids, two dogs, and a cat, plus an insanely stressful job, yet he’s also one of the happiest guys I know. I think his brain stress mechanism is wired back to front.
discombobulatededed@reddit
Fuck me. I have two dogs and no kids and I adore them but I often say I dunno how people manage with dogs and kids. My dogs are trained and well behaved but they take up a lot of my time with walks and training and feeding time. How do people that sleep deprived and trying to grow a whole new human being?! I don’t think I could.
redlorryyellowlorry9@reddit
My partner and I both have siblings and both thought we wanted 2 children. We are both now very happy with 1. We love our daughter so much and she isn’t a difficult child at all, but it is still full-on. Sometimes you do just crave a break. She goes to nursery on the days I work, and a few times a year I will take holiday just to have a me-day.
MovieMore4352@reddit
Yeah, I had been with my girlfriend then wife years before we said ‘Go on then’.
I went in to the experience very much expecting to have difficulty conceiving but less than too months later, she was pregnant. Gave me fucking palpitations when she told me.
Then I worried about finances and that something was going to go wrong with the pregnancy. But, nope, all went swimmingly with little drama until my wife had to be induced with a forceps birth with and some surgery. The baby needed a little help but a minute later she was crying but I had to settle my wife down who I could tell was anxious from the lack off noises from the baby (she’s also a nurse which doesn’t help).
Don’t get me wrong. I was besotted with my daughter from the moment I held her, I was left with her in a room for around half an hour while they sorted my wife out and all I did was ball my eyes out while studying every pore on her beautiful face all while thinking ‘Why is she so brown?’. I also noticed that her eyebrows were on point or whatever the kids say.
ALL of the cliches are correct. As they grow it gets harder and harder.
Parenting is hard, we went into it with glass is half empty view and we have been very lucky having a healthy and happy girl all the way through (everything from sleeping through to eating).
Now she’s 4 1/2 and she is the most beautiful, well mannered, sensitive, sharing and funny child that you’d ever want to meet 97% of the time. That 3% when they are being irrational monsters just makes me want to punch her through a phone book so it doesn’t leave a mark.
We are definitely one and done.
Pumpkin-Salty@reddit
Very much how I feel.
Beautiful_Manager137@reddit
Exactly how I feel. I couldn't handle a second.
Just seen some friends who have a 2 and 3 year old and they are both just fed up.
Unsungh3ro_88@reddit
We thought we would try for a second after our daughter (twins!) FML lol. Vasectomy sorted now though.
Possible_Football_77@reddit
This is it. I think my kid is the coolest person I’ve ever met, but pregnancy was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and my life has been nothing but difficult and lonely since I had him. I got my tubes tied because no way in hell am I doing it again.
pineappleshampoo@reddit
I’ve definitely noticed amongst friends, those with two or more kids seem to really struggle. I know someone with four who complains constantly about how hard it is and how useless their partner is… same partner for all four so does make you think!
Fun-Basis-1026@reddit
My son is my destiny.
kignat@reddit
Not at all. I have been a parent for only 3 years and a lot has changed. My social life, my "me" time, my food adventures and my holidays have been seriously curtailed. However, I have no regrets. Spending time with him just makes me feel like "me". I love seeing the world through his eyes and every day he brings something new to my attention that I would not have seen.
TheLongHope@reddit
4 and 6 year olds, the best thing in my life on a daily basis. I’m so much happier and grown up with their amazing and wholesome energy around.
Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit
Every decision in life has consequences.
There are always multiple paths you can or could have taken.
Happiness lies in accepting what you won’t do or don’t have as much as in what you do have.
When contemplating those alternative paths few fully review the things they wouldn’t have had, focusing only on the benefits.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
Sounds a lot like the Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit
Busted
Ill-Abalone3562@reddit
Absolutely not. If you truly regret having kids then you should put them up for adoption to someone who would actually want them. They will know they are unwanted and that’s worse than being adopted to a loving family where they are.
Sea-Routine6662@reddit
I regret not being younger when I met my BF and having children.
I’m 37, currently trying, but I didn’t meet him until early 2020. Between moving house (2022) two close family member deaths last year and needing my gallbladder removing TTC was put off until this year. We are happy, have a stable income, have budgeted to make sure that we can afford our bills on one salary.
It seems to happen so easily for so many people and for those it doesn’t happen easily it’s not talked about.
ukbusybee@reddit
I never had kids (nearly 50 so that’s not likely to change now lol) and have never regretted it. I observed the life my mum had and the mundane drudgery of parenthood was not for me! My sister had 3 kids and that confirmed it for me after watching the trials and tribulations of it all. Out of all the kids in the same generation as me in my family we’ve either gone the route of loads of kids or none! IMO if you want kids have them but if you don’t want kids then don’t (don’t let society dictate what ‘happiness’ looks like for you)!
Puzzled-Barnacle-200@reddit
You live in the UK. People complain about everything a lot more than they praise it.
Noone wants to hear about how much you love your job, how perfect your relationship is, how well you're doing financially, how you have so many friends, and how perfect your kids are.
tatsandtits97@reddit
I don’t regret having my LO but there are days where I just can’t be bothered parenting sometimes. Especially when I’ve had a long day at work or a bad nights sleep and just want to chill out
katvoira@reddit
I have a 14-year-old and it just keeps getting better. He's very much me writ small, and it's brilliant to be there while he figures new stuff out and help with more and more complex things. Yes, it's exhausting when they're 4 and need you for every little thing, but then they get past that and there's a human in your house who's a lot like you and generally super cool. I'm not great at hanging out with small people until I can hold a conversation with them, but once you can, it's the best
dannibon@reddit
I regret not doing more with my life before my child (travelling, holidays etc) but I dont regret my child at all, now I get to go on adventures with my mini best friend
OpulentStone@reddit
I've never met people that have been happy to have had kids. They always say "oh your priorities in life simple change" or "you'll love it when you're a grandparent" etc. That's not to say they don't love their kids to bits - of course they do.
It seems like an expensive >= 18 years of misery even if your kids are perfect. Misery as in, here's a person you're now responsible for feeding, educating correctly, and not messing them up because you love them so much.
apurpleglittergalaxy@reddit
My aunt said when she was drunk if she'd had a crystal ball and could see into the future she's not sure if she'd have had kids. My uncle is estranged from his 2 kids one of whom turned into a sociopath no thanks to him it eats him up inside everyday I'm told he parks in the road where they used to live with their mum why I don't know but its obviously because he can't get closure. My sister has broke down crying when she's been sleep deprived with her 2 kids, she's also had a go at me for trying to offer advice and is constantly stressed out with them. My mum didn't know how to look after me or my sister in the slightest.
I'm sure there are a lot of people who love their kids, would die for them some people even make it their entire personality but I guarantee you the percentage of people who regret having kids who are crying, broken down and sleep deprived with not a penny to their name and 0 support outweigh the people who brag about having kids. It's a stress like no other and the thing is you're either cut out for it or you're not. I have a lot of respect for the people who admit they regret having kids rather than trying to guilt trip childless adults like me for not having kids. Misery loves company I guess.
evthrowawayverysad@reddit
I have a 4 month old. 3 months ago, I'd have said a guarded yes. Now, no. I'm sure this will flip flop many times over their life. It seems like that's just part of parenting.
Best-Cold-8561@reddit
No, they are the best things about my life. Sure, life would be simpler if I didn't have kids. I would have the freedom to leave my marriage, for one, but nothing could replace the love I have for them.
FranksBestToeKnife@reddit
9 month old twins here. I won't lie, that first 3 months the thought crossed my mind a few times. We had such a lovely life before, why did we do this again? Sleep deprivation, mourning your now long gone life, and my dad passing away had me pretty down for a bit. But everytime this thought came in it'd only take a look at one of their helpless little faces to banish it, to be honest.
Ever since we sleep trained and started sleeping, cleaning, bathing ourselves again, life has been getting better and better. It's still hard on your own with then but feels doable, and they're more and more fun everyday. We blow Raspberries at each other, try fun new foods, play peekaboo, or just wander around the garden playing with trees. It's awesome.
So no not for me, though I completely get where that feeling can come from.
TheDarkSide73@reddit
I don’t have kids and I have no regrets. A few of my younger friends in their early 40s have kids and a common sentiment is that they live their children but hate parenthood.
Karmilia@reddit
I'm a mom- (32F)
Just had a really rough night with my 22 months old who just want to stay up and party. Yes there are times like today where absolutely fucking hate it, but I still don't think I will regret it. Because his innocence and majority of time being so sweet to me outweigh the negatives. Granted it is hard, I mean any parents will tell you this is hard, but for some reason, I personally love it.
I've also suffering from postnatal and at the beginning hated the whole parenting thing. Now with the appropriate help and seeing my boy strives, seeing his own little personality, makes me so proud to be his mum.
I love him with every inches of my bone, but agreed with how your friend feels - sometime you just need a "day off" from being the parent. That's why grandparent/ any other willing carers are important in your life if you're lucky to have them.
Ilovetoebeans1@reddit
No I don't. I'm not maternal really and although they can be a total pain I've never regretted having them. They are teens now and so much fun.
John_GOOP@reddit
Well I didnt't really have a choice.
GF + Needle + Condom = baby.
I love my son and I would never wish him away.
Family court is so unfair though omg.
red_momjeanz@reddit
I never regret having children, and my marriage did not work out. My older son has a lot of mental health needs. But trying to be the best mom I can be has challenged me forced me to work on myself and my own expectations, and figure out how to care for myself. I know this sounds trite, but I can't imagine my life without kids. Sure I'd have more money to spend on myself (at least $1200 a month, even if I kept my same housing situation) but so what? A couple nice trips, some nice clothes and meals out? That doesn't make for a meaningful life. I remember spending time when I was in my 20s trying to figure out if I had any role models in my profession who did not have children and that's it. They had like a nicer home, some nice trips, maybe even designer clothes. I know that shit would be fun but eventually I would take it for granted too. (Plus I am hot enough to look great in regular clothes).
I read once that the best relationships in life are the ones that force you to challenge yourself and grow. My children have taught me to value of understanding myself, loving myself, and the importance of quality time together. They're not babies so the physically demanding parts of parenting aren't there anymore, but the emotionally demanding part is just beginning.
That said, sometimes I need a break! We all do from all our responsibilities and obligations. That's OK. Sounds like your friend could use help, maybe mental health support.
TheLeatherBear@reddit
hmm. I haven’t reproduced and don’t intend to. I know couples who seem to be a convenient baby sitting service for the grandchildren. I worked with a woman who had children who were entitled and grossly irresponsible - demanding expensive designer clothing and footwear for Christmas, lying about speeding offences and saying their parent was responsible, manipulating my friend into paying for everything, I’ve left my purse/phone at home, can you pay for this when it arrives, and the worst example, manipulating them into accepting the blame for a drug offence.
on the flip side another woman I know had a great marriage (until her husband died) and children who all did exceptionally well at school and have highly paid and well regarded careers.
I was too immature to have children when I was younger. Now I’m too ‘selfish’, the amount of time, money and effort to bring up a child responsibly is way beyond what I’m willing to invest. And I don’t like the world I’d be bringing a new life into.
Jigglypuffs_quiff@reddit
Honestly? No. There were times it was hard but now I have 3 best friends...
DragonMage74@reddit
Absolute NO regrets about not having kids. Being child free is amazing and joyful.
Sea-Still5427@reddit
If you do regret it, can I beg that you don't tell your kids or tell someone else in front of them? It just confirms that you're not wanted or loved.
Sensitive_Turn1824@reddit
I regret spending near on £30.000 the last 3 and half years on nursery
Individual_Eye_257@reddit
Nursery fees are an absolute joke, this is why me and my partner have decided for her not to go back to work when maternity leave ends, i think the cheapest we found was £73.30 a day, after tax and ni she would bring home 422.00 and she'd have £56 left over after nursery fees, unfortunately we don't have family who can help out with childcare but luckily we have financial backup.
Sensitive_Turn1824@reddit
The reason we haven't had a 2nd child is because of nursery fees, I can't do it again for another 3 years
Individual_Eye_257@reddit
Tell me about it, the costs are wild, I know a couple who have been paying nearly double what we had seen the cheapest one for, they're quite a wealthy couple so they probably don't care too much.
I can 1million percent confirm we won't be trying for a 2nd, costs and the fact our boy has kept us awake every night for 7 months straight.
Born_Reveal_8449@reddit
The part that most gets me about nursery fees are that the bastards still charge you if your not there due to sickness or holiday
Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit
The holiday bit is annoying but I do understand getting charged for a sickness because they will have planned a certain number of staff who all need paying. If they could let you book off a week for holidays though with plenty of notice then that would be great though!
The_Blip@reddit
I mean... they still need to pay the staff when you're on holiday. The staff has a salary that needs paying, they can't just not pay them at random times of the year. You don't get skilled and competent nursery staff by offering zero hour contracts.
Sensitive_Turn1824@reddit
Think he means bank holidays, still get charged for them
Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit
I hate paying for this but I do get why- the staff get paid for the bank holidays (and rightly so of course) so this needs to get charged to the parents as it has to come from somewhere.
JohnArcher965@reddit
Bull, if you aren't looking after the children, you don't get paid. Nursery's closing on bank holidays, when the only reason they exist is so the parents can go to work, is ridiculous, and causes so many issues for parents.
Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit
Most salaried jobs get bank holidays paid for- why should the people taking care of the most important things in our lives get treated worse than anyone else? I hate how much of my salary goes on childcare but I definitely don’t begrudge the nursery staff getting paid a fair wage- they do a great job in a field I myself would really struggle in.
JohnArcher965@reddit
A lot of salaried jobs expect you to use your holiday allowance for bank holidays. It's a double bubble for the business. It's a con for the parents, just like having to pay when your child is sick.
Salaried people also usually get any sick days, or off days deducted from their salary, so if your child is ill, you're paying for a service that you can't use, and you're losing salary.
It's the same when teachers go on strike. I have no sympathy for them. The idea of not working bank holidays is ridiculous, if all the shops, pubs, restaurants etc, closed on bank holidays, no-one would have anything to do on them. The parents who work in these industries are the real hard done by folks since they're the ones who suffer when the nursery is closed, especially given that they're already likely only earning NMW.
lalolanda2@reddit
THIS
I work at an [extra curricular activity] and parents think we don't have bills to pay or something.
They're always like "Uuuhh we are going on holiday for 10 days, do I really have to pay the full month?"
YES, BITCH. I don't suddenly stop needing to eat to live because you went to Disneyland Paris
Weird-Matter-5139@reddit
I find the sickness weirder. Especially when the kid is well enough to attend, but can't due to nursery policies. So you are telling me I can't drop my kid off but are still making me pay?
JohnArcher965@reddit
100% if the child don't stay, I won't pay.
CwrwCymru@reddit
I still take grievance with that though. Running a business is risk vs reward, every other business copes with sickness costs.
Private entities aren't entitled to a decent profit. Nurseries use the threat of a child's wellbeing to mitigate this risk.
rdxc1a2t@reddit
There's nothing like paying £60-70 a day for someone to not look after your kid. Fortunately my son has only had a handful of days off in his first year+ of childcare.
Cosmicalmole@reddit
You would think the government would step in and guard this with it being vital to parents, like capping prices.
Forever-1999@reddit
80% of childcare costs are staff salaries. Staff costs are highly influenced by child/career ratios and minimum wage legislation. Not to mention additional costs due to underfunded ‘free hours’ guaranteed by government, which requires parents who access provision outside these offers to subsidise them. Capping costs would just put the vast majority of providers out of business. Countries with cheaper childcare systems in comparable economies are often nationalised childcare systems, which is nowhere near the agenda in the UK.
Cosmicalmole@reddit
The more you know, cheers for the info! '
mannomanniwish@reddit
Well the nursery needs to cover its costs. Seems reasonable to charge people whether the kid turns up or not.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
Thankfully, in an actual good move, that shit is changing.
Whether it'll actually work is another thing.
toxicgecko@reddit
I mean it’s working for parents; we get a pittance for each child that is usually barely enough to keep the lights on let alone pay the staff- the government needs to really put their hand in their purse if they want to offer these hours and still have nurseries for the kids to go to.
hashmanuk@reddit
The average profit margin for a private nursery is 7-11pc
wales-bloke@reddit
You're basically paying to send your child into a petri-dish.
Rhinoceraptor37@reddit
Haha REAL TALK.
Intrepid_Lion2581@reddit
I don't think many people outright regret it, would they rather it was easier? Sure but biology does a lot to make us like them and not eat them even though they're annoying as fuck.
You couldn't pay me enough money to raise a kid, I'm just selfish with my time and resources. I'd much rather have the freedom to go on a holiday, move house or change jobs without the concern of how severely it's going to impact a little version of me. 3years in Thailand was one of the best decisions I've made both professionally and personally and I wouldn't have been able to do it if I had kids.
ResolveEmergency863@reddit
I have 2 - a son who is 12 with a previous partner and a 7 year old Daughter with my current partner.
I'm really lucky, my kids are great. My daughter is the sweetest thing and although she had some testing moments when she was younger, she really is lovely. We're fairly relaxed parents and I think it helps them. she's loves to dance and sing and we let her she's hilarious at the moment, bright, good at school and an absolute joy 90% of the time. gets a bit difficult when she is tired, but who doesnt.
My son is on the spectrum. He's a bit awkward and has a couple of health issues, but he is really academic and really polite. Not very motivated at the moment about much, acting like a typical teenager at the moment with not wanting to get up for school but it's to be expected at this age really.
what I do regret is the circumstances - I didnt know my son until he was about 6 months old, and wen through the DNA route to ensure he was mine. immediately made in-roads to see him and he began to live with me from the age of 1 & 1/2. It was a struggle for a while - authorities involved and with having to attend court, for PR and some other issues. Things are great now, he sees his mam loads, we split school holidays and relationships are much better all around. I probably don't have as strong as a natural "bond" as I'd like with him after missing the start of his life, but I love him and who he is and proud of the lad.
I always wanted kids though. like, I knew when I was a young teen I wanted to be a parent. You make sacrifices and don't have as much time or money, but being a parent doesn't have to define who you are. People have kids and shell up and just become a mam or a dad, but you can still be more than just a parent with your own interests and hobbies. You don't HAVE to watch peppa pig all day 'cause the children say so.
I am in absolute awe of those who look after children who are severely ill or disabled though especially with the lack of help and understanding this country offers. The people doing this, and I know some personally too, are absolute saints and deserve all the praise in the world.
Ok-Amoeba-1190@reddit
No, not at all !!! 😏👶🦋
ConnorHMFCS04@reddit
I don't regret having children at all, but boy is it difficult sometimes and there is a part of me that wishes I did things a little differently. I had my first child when I was 19, with my ex. We split up a couple of years later. With my current partner, we had a baby last year, 6 months before I turned 30. That was totally unexpected and unplanned.
My partner also has 2 kids from a previous relationship who are quite young, but she's a few years younger than me. The one thing that keeps me going is that by the time I'm in my 40's, all of our kids will be into their teens, and that we can have a good chunk of freedom back. Then by the time I'm 50, they'll all be adults and I can enjoy my older years.
A few of my friends are in their 30's and want kids but still don't have any. The idea of having a baby in my mid to late 30's depresses me. Always said the one good thing about having my kids fairly young, is the aforementioned freedom in my later life.
whyte_wytch@reddit
I was a single parent for a long time. Had twins when I was young. Their father wasn't supportive and stopped all contact with them when they were 10. Probably for the best, he was a pretty awful person. Yes there were days I was tired and could have done with a break but I've never regretted the choices I made to have them and raise them.
I think your friend is struggling and needs support. She could have postpartum depression or she might just be overwhelmed. Have a chat and see if you can help her find the support she needs.
Slabs@reddit
Not at all. Best thing I've done. But you need a great partner and to be at the right stage in life.
iamnotatroll666@reddit
This thread is such a waste of time, OP asked specifically the opinion of people that have kids.
No_Dress9765@reddit
I morned the life I had before I had a child. I still morn it sometimes and my child is 3 years old. But I have to balance that against the joy she brings. It’s really about perspective and what is more meaningful. I loved the freedom I had prior to being a parent but I place more value on the pleasure my child brings me.
kitkat-ninja78@reddit
Nope, yes there have been some days when I just didn't want to parent (eg having a me day), but to be honest those are normally far and few between. I actually enjoy being a parent, wouldn't be without my kid (or should I say teenager now)...
Matt_Moto_93@reddit
My view is mine, and is solely my own. I love being a parent. Sure, it has difficult moments - getting them dressed, getting them to sit still and eat their meal, triyng to get them to be somewhat compliant with some of the things I ask of them. That;s human nature, thats the nature of a child. Parents who complain dont realise they were little shits at the same age too. But all those frustrating moments, they are by far and away put into insignificance because of the good moments. The silly things a child does that are funny, the games they come up with, the moments they fall asleep in your arms, the times theyrandomly hug you or even give you a kiss. The time spent together playing, teaching them new things and the joy of seeing them learn something new, either with your help or on their own that they've worked out. You've got to put time into being a decent parent - sit with them, read with them, join in with them. I have my own colouring book, I can sit and colour with my kid. We do garden work together, him and my wife cook together. We play during bath-times. We talk about all the world around us. You dont have to be one of this super instamummies who have infinite energy and endless resources to entertain your child, but you have to be thre and you have to engage. So stop fucvking complaining about beign a aprent because you cant change that - get down on your knees to their level, and hunt for pebbles. Paint a picture. Dig in the sand. Just fucking enjoy it and go to bed tired but happy because in 20 years when they've fucked off you might find you regret wasting all that time, now they dont want to know you because they found a better group of people who actually want them around.
Proeliumerus@reddit
I'm on the flip side, I'm 36 (male) now, and now single, and sometimes I regret not having the opportunity to start a family. There's still time, of course but I feel like I've only got a few years left to start a family and be a dad that would be able to be fully involved in everything.
Spiderinahumansuit@reddit
Yeah, I do. I love my kids, but I never get a moment's peace. My kids are both very high energy, especially my eldest, and he's incredibly obstinate as well, so dealing with him is a pain in the backside, to say the least.
I feel exhausted constantly, and I never, ever get time away from it because my partner simply can't cope with them on her own - I can't step away for even half an hour, because I'll hear everything has devolved into screaming. The last time I had a day to myself (almost six years ago now) so I could go meet my brother, it caused a massive row and I was sleeping in the spare room for three days. I have no social life outside the family and my boss grumbled at me in my annual appraisal for not attending networking events outside office hours.
I could probably just about settle into this if I didn't see other dads being incredibly fucking useless and getting all the free time which I'm denied. The best time of my life recently was August 2022, when the kids and partner went and stayed at her parents' house in Germany for a month. It's not like I went on an immediate drug-fuelled bender or anything, but just getting to eat the things I like, watch what I want to watch on TV, go the places I want to go and not have a never-ending pile of laundry to deal with improved my mental health leaps and bounds.
jmabbz@reddit
Nope. Not for a second. My kids are a great joy to me, even when parenting is difficult.
Antinumeric@reddit
I think modern society is not well structured to having kids, nuclear families are extremely stressful for both parents, and make kids much more dependent on parents for entertainment. I think having kids would be a lot less stressful with larger family units. It does make me worry about kids development that there are fewer cousins / similar age kids to play with, and outdoor play spaces need to be highly supervised by adults at all times. It just adds to stress and time taken from the parents.
WiseWillow89@reddit
It’s hard cos I love my boy so much but… yeah I think I do regret it 😭
Quick_Insurance5910@reddit
There’s good days and bad days, sometimes it can be a lot to deal with couldn’t imagine life without them - I have one on the way, 2, 4, 5 y/o
Darkgreenbirdofprey@reddit
No. I'd be shocked if anyone would regret it. You're essentially saying you wish your kids had never been born.
bopeepsheep@reddit
I have, not because of the child (though it's not been 100% smooth or fun), but because it turns out medically I shouldn't have, really. Pregnancy hormones make things grow. Including tumours. It also did horrible things to my back and pelvis. Love my daughter, would have liked remaining mobile too.
discochap@reddit
No.
Kids can be really difficult and we all have our unique challenges when it comes to raising children.
The love I feel for my 2 (+1 currently cooking) is unlike anything I've felt before.
They might be hard work but seeing their smiles and hearing their laughs is worth it.
I'm raising strong, fearless, independent girls who will hopefully become strong, fearless, independent young women who'll have a positive impact on the world.
I wouldn't change it for anything.
Slow_Revolution3652@reddit
You can feel regret in the daily struggles. Both my girls are autistic and I have fought tooth and nail for their diagnosis here in the UK. My eldest was just diagnosed at 18 with ADHD and Autism but, since she is now an "adult," no longer qualifies for ADHD meds. Raising her has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I do not regret a single second of it. She is an incredible human being and I'm crying typing this because fuck, that kid has had such struggles and she deserved better.
CrystalKirlia@reddit
The amount of ableism and eugenics implications in this comments section is astounding...
"My child is disabled! They make my life so difficult! What about my feelings!!! It's not fair on meeeeee!!!"
Seriously, you all sound so out of touch! People saying they wish they aborted their kids for being disabled. Wtf! You're all so selfish!
Did you ever think about how your kids feel and are experiencing the world? Or is that not your problem, so you refuse to see the world in any light outside of your own???
reiktoa@reddit
Parenting can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its challenges and sacrifices. It's natural for parents to feel overwhelmed or frustrated at times, especially when they're tired or dealing with difficult situations.
Particular_Area_7423@reddit
Having kids is like having a second unpaid job that you can't have a holiday from .
NorthernSoul1977@reddit
That's one way of looking at it. It's certainly work. But your your own family, your own tribe. If that's not something you want don't do it.
Main_Brief4849@reddit
Exactly this
Gloomy-Flamingo-9791@reddit
I have a 4 and 7 year old and looking back, i can even explain how hollow my life was beforehand. I love every 95% of the time I'm with them (that 5% is really fucking annoying though, like speaking with a really unreasonable boss).
I just love watching their brains trying to work things out and how they reason with the world.
I found a job which will give me the flexabily to spend as much time with them as possible.
p4ttl1992@reddit
Nah my kids are great, very well behaved, never had any tantrums and always listen to me. I see other kids in full meltdown though, and parents struggling every day because if it.
No-Engineering3929@reddit
Im 38 I have no kids. I am super stoked with my choice. I live in fiji with a beautiful partner, we are off to France and Spain for a month in June. I get great sleep.
smurfthesmurfup@reddit
Mine are 13 & 11, and I love them to bits.
Its fabulous to watch them blossom, and to help them find what makes them happy.
Life holds a lot more meaning for me now that I have them, and they are so funny!
Cali4niaEnglish@reddit
Depends on the day
Professional_Net7907@reddit
Kids suck the life out of you and leave you old.
Jojonotref@reddit
Not even once. I sometimes and not that rarely yelled to them, angry, disappointed, tired as fk felt like I was so close to death, having huuuge headache repeatedly bombarded by so many questions when I needed to focus / busy doing something, but at the end of night I kissed both of them during their sleep thanking God for the 2 blessings He trusted us to keep and treasure.
Nezwin@reddit
3 kids under 7, and I feel I'm just coming through the very hardest part and pricing myself back together.
My relationships and health have taken bad hits and it'll be years until I'm back where I need to be.
But do I regret it? No. Life wasn't meant to be easy. But I would say this - it takes a village to raise a child, and we destroyed our villages in the name of progress and neoliberalism. How we currently raise children is not how it's meant to be.
Most_Alternative_464@reddit
Mine are 16, 14 and 9. I don't regret it, I had my eldest at 16 and it was a constant uphill struggle to prove I could raise them right, between two grandmother's who were always obsessive with her and insisted on telling me a child couldn't raise a child.
But I'm proud of my babies, and I'm proud of me too, most days are hard though, as each of my children have severe and complex needs (autism, add, dyslexia and other health issues), but I don't regret a day, I just wish I'd brought them into a kinder world.
doctorace@reddit
Humans have a “psychological immune system” that essentially doesn’t allow you to do things like regret having children. You can just convince yourself it was totally worth in, and because that’s subjective, it’s true.
Dan Gilbert wrote a book called Stumbling on Happiness with a chapter about parenting that goes into it. Moment to moment, parents are unhappy and are happiest when they are without their children. But if you ask them to reflect on how happy they are with their life, they are more likely to give high ratings. It’s a philosophical question about which measure of happiness is more true.
Jealous_Preference79@reddit
Considering how many parents are openly admitting to regretting having children in these comments, I don't think that's always true.
HereticLaserHaggis@reddit
I'm the opposite.
When I was younger I was adamant I didn't want kids. But honestly, I've got so much out of them that I genuinely feel I'd have wasted life a bit if I didn't have my girls.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
This is why it's always amusing when Redditors are so damned sure they'll never change their mind and everyone who says there's a huge chance they will is out of touch and a boomer and etc etc etc
Like we weren't all younger once.
ambientfruit@reddit
So you just don't believe someone that says they're certain they don't want kids?
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
If they're about 18-29, yeah. I've seen more than enough people who were soooooo sure that they weren't going to be the ones that changed their mind do a complete 180 that it doesn't really hold a lot of weight anymore.
ambientfruit@reddit
Bit rude to be dismissive of them just being younger though. People change their minds for lots of reasons.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
Sure, but there's no point lying to people about it.
ambientfruit@reddit
They're not lying. In that moment that was the truth for them. Whether you believe they'll change their minds or not it's not a lie. They might have been incorrect in the statement that they'll never had kids, but they weren't lying.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
There is no truth for one person - there's the truth. There's belief, which is already a word.
ambientfruit@reddit
Whether it's a belief or a perception or a truth or whatever you want to call it, they aren't *lying*. They're not trying to mislead. They know in themselves at that moment they're not going to procreate. They might admit to being incorrect about that thought later, but they're not actively telling you a falsehood at that moment.
And the point is that you can't possibly know that they are going to change their minds. I don't know that you're not going to dive out in front of a bus today. You can tell me you're not but then you might change your mind. Were you lying when you told me you weren't? Not in that moment. You just changed your mind later.
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
I was saying that there's no point in me lying to them.
ambientfruit@reddit
That is not how that sounded. My mistake.
Future_Way6512@reddit
Do you tell people who wanna become parents that they'll change their mind?
It's so disrespectful.
ambientfruit@reddit
You get used to it, depressingly. Especially if you're a woman. Virtual strangers telling you you don't know your own mind and will change your opinions despite knowing NOTHING about what brought you to the position you have.
It gets a lot easier as you age but man...it sucks as a younger person.
Worried-Conflict9268@reddit
I’m at that spot now. Always knew I didn’t want kids but worried I might regret it.. and everyone does say you make it work, or you end up loving the experience. What made you change your mind?
ambientfruit@reddit
Better to regret the kids you didn't have than to regret the ones you did.
The kids you do regret will 100% know you regret having them. My father regretted having all three of his kids and we all knew it.
HereticLaserHaggis@reddit
Got the Mrs pregnant. Decided fuck it, there's never a good time to have kids.
Worried-Conflict9268@reddit
Ha yeah, though I’m on the flip side where I’m the one that has to bear the child
Super_Ground9690@reddit
Honestly truthfully yes. I regret having them. My life would have been much better if I’d stayed childless. I love them and we have a nice time sometimes but mostly it’s just a bloody hard slog. I’m skint all the time because I’m trying to give them a good life. I’m tired all the time. I’m impatient with them, I feel old and crotchety and like my past joyful carefree self has shrivelled up and died.
I’m trying my best to be a good parent to them but damn, if I knew then what I know now, I would absolutely not have had any children.
Jealous_Preference79@reddit
Oh how lovely ❤️ harden up love
JustAnotherFEDev@reddit
I'm a single dad. I've bern my daughter's main caregiver since she a couple of months old. The first 12 years were amazing, changed my whole perspective on life, changed me for the better, and no sacrifice was ever too much.
Now she's a teen and a massive arsehole. The shit she causes me is unreal. The worry she causes me is awful she's massively disrespectful towards me, trashes the place, and only really speaks to me when she wants something.
I wouldn't go as far as saying I regret having a kid, but I often think to myself, "I didn't sign up for this shit", "what's the refund policy?".
She's been kicked out of 3 schools already for being an arsehole. Never listens to her much wiser dad, what do I know, huh?
Hopefully, it's just a phase, the countless professionalssay. We're about one year into this "phase," and I'm lacking oprltimism it'll ever end 😒
SensibleChapess@reddit
I've never bonded with mine. They are consequently (a) a drain on my time and significantly curtail my wellbeing and (b) a significant financial cost and (c) are two extra people on this overcrowded, dying, planet who, because of climate change, environmental collapse and pollution are going to have incredibly poor quality lives as they age and will very likely die horrible deaths.
I appreciate (a) and (b) is not common... but every child will be impacted by (c).
OrdoRidiculous@reddit
Do I regret it? No. Do I miss who I used to be? Yes. Worth it though.
Jealous_Preference79@reddit
Perfectly said
C0NNii3KiNS@reddit
Do I regret my child? Of course not, he’s amazing, love him to bits, wouldn’t take him back for the world!
Do I regret who his mother is and the age in which we were when he was conceived. Yes. 100%.
As a late teenager, they take up too much time you should have spent going to further education. Too much money you don’t have because you can’t get a decent job due to lack of experience or qualifications. You’re too young to know if the other parent is “The one” (Hint: at that age, they almost never are), it’s stressful when you’re supposed to having fun as a young person still. As a young adult, you don’t get to travel the world, you don’t get to enjoy your days out because you’re supervising their safety the entire time. You can’t afford nice cars, flats/houses, luxuries because your young grinding-for-the-paycheque income that you’d usually get to save up all goes on the child..
Then because you were young and stupid, it all goes wrong with the partner somewhere down the line and trying to Co-parent when you both can’t stand each others presence is awkward, especially at parent’s evenings and sports days etc. Half your income goes to the mother who got the living rights, a almost free “single parent” 3 bed 7million acre council house, now has 3 kids with 3 different dads, spends the child maintenance on alcohol and lip fillers then complains the kids don’t have clothes or shoes that fit blah blah blah
(Sorry, went on a rant there)
But I’m 29 now, and it wasn’t until last year I had a brief moment of “Yeah, I think I’d have naturally been about ready for kids now”.
DepartureWhole4595@reddit
Nope. They are the hardest things you will ever have to cope with but life without them would be unbearable.
I'm up for challenges and trying to be a good parent is the biggest challenge one can face. I'm not shying away from that and i'm not feeling sorry for myself about it either. You choose the responsibility when you have a child and you have to shoulder that responsibility no matter how hard it gets.
Jealous_Preference79@reddit
Not for a second. Not even on the hard days where I'm feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. And the second I do get break I miss my child immediately lmao. I feel like, in order to actually REGRET having children, a person would have to be very selfish. Becoming a parent changes your brain, you no longer live for yourself - you live for your child. To regret bringing them into this world just because you don't get focus only on yourself anymore is kinda narcissistic imo
Individual_Eye_257@reddit
Don't regret it one bit, I have a 7 month old boy, he's great in the day time, eats, plays, he's well on track with where he should be and he's mastered his crawling so now if I blink he's on the other side of the room.
However, he's a nightmare at night time, put him down in his nursery just after his final bottle between 8 - 8:30pm, within 2 hours he's awake, then begins the pick up, settle and place back down routine every hour, then if it gets to 3am and I've managed maybe an hours solid sleep myself I get his mattress on the nursery floor and i lay down on the floor next to him and he sleeps solid for the next 4 hours, which is nice because I also get a solid 4 hours but not so great on my back.
Despite the sleepless nights there's no regret, he's my best bud and we have the best bond.
Daedricbob@reddit
I have a two year old and my gosh it's tough.
I'm 45M and to be honest was never wired to be 'that guy' with a kid and a mortgage and dealing with toddler tantrums in the mall, but here we are.
My other half came off long-term birth control without telling me (which I've made my peace with), so I never chose to be a father. I was in the middle of transitioning my side hustle business to my main career, and that went out the window due to the time demands of a child.
I love my boy more than anything and 'regret' at having him definitely isn't the right word though, it's more just a deep sense of loss at the life, adventures and opportunities that are now forever lost to me.
Selfish and stupid I know, but that's emotions for you.
Sufficient_Debt8615@reddit
Imagine telling your child(ren) you regret having them.
Stunning-Profit8876@reddit
The honest answer is "sometimes".
Children bring both joy and challenges.
Tarot_Cat_Witch@reddit
I don’t regret my child, just who I had him with!
NaughtyDred@reddit
The only thing worse than hanging out with my kid, is not hanging out with my kid
Wanderection@reddit
I don’t have kids, and I don’t regret it; the world is messed up enough without me adding my probably poor parenting skills into the mix.
F430Scuderia@reddit
With a 16 month so far and no, not at all. We waited until we were financially secure and in as good of a place as we could be. We also had 7 years of living our life and having fun before committing, so I think that helps. Lots of people seem to rush in without considering the implications (not that you fully can).
stabbycrabby40@reddit
I would like to add that when it is great then it is great. My daughter doesn't talk a lot, she does speech and language therapy. She has a lot of sensory issues. She has no danger awareness. One day she was running after a girl who was cycling in the road.i she escaped the front garden and I was behind her trying to catch her. At one point I was in tears. Luckily we have understanding neighbours who look out for her. When she has meltdowns it is so bad that she will hit me in the face and once tried choking me. The good outweighs the bad. I was 37 when I had her, a complete surprise. All her milestones were late. She only started saying words when she was 3yr. When she runs she is pure happiness. When she says love you momma I am a puddle of goo. She is a good reader, loves numbers and dinosaurs. Some days are good and other days aren't good. I love my daughter and have any regrets
tejedor28@reddit
My kids are my life, and I love them more than I ever thought possible. But fuck me, it’s hard. It’s so hard. My wife doesn’t have great mental health and the stress of bringing up a family has exacerbated her issues many times over. If I met my 30yo self I’d say “think long and hard”.
thepoout@reddit
For those who have disabled, mentally challenged, autistic children; you're answer is rightly more difficult to answer
This still applies;
All children are a blessing.
They are the light of the world.
No i dont regret having kids. They have made me a man. I would have remained a boy without them.
SeniorZoggy@reddit
Together for 17 years. Married for 8. Ummed and arrred for around 7 years until last year we decided we wanted children. The only thing we regret is not having them sooner.
We only have one atm, and as difficult as some days can be, it's all forgotten about the moment our little one gives us a cheeky smile.
hochiho923@reddit
When I was younger I thought I would have a family with children in future. But now I'm just married with a cat.
doesntevengohere12@reddit
No I don't. I didn't even want children and always said I wouldn't do it but then I did.
No regrets.
Kowai03@reddit
I had my son for 6 weeks before he suddenly passed away from SIDS. He was the most beautiful and perfect thing that ever happened to me and I miss him every single day.
I was so worried about having children and how that would change my life but it's far far worse to have had one and then lose them. It's devastating, soul destroying pain. All the time, money, sleep etc in the world to do whatever you want when you want and you will never enjoy it fully anymore.
Any-Establishment-99@reddit
I have two healthy children, an ex partner who is a great dad and (crucially) plenty of money. I love being a parent, I love the company of my children, but I’m very conscious that we are lucky. One freak accident and being a parent would be a totally different experience.
Hungry_Caramel6169@reddit
As a father, the first I’d say year and a half I was miserable, life completely changed, no time for yourself and no sleep. It felt like it would never end. My daughter is 4 now, and the best choice we ever made, every day is made more joyful with her in the world.
We had our second 9 months ago, a boy, and feeling even more stressed out than the first, but I know it will come to and end and that our lives will be filled with just as much joy all over again.
I love my kids, they’re the center of my world, but it has caused massive strain on my relationship with my partner, lack of sleep etc. But I think we’ll make it through.
Also, I don’t believe any of those influencer parents who say it’s a blessing with young kids all the time, stop chatting pure shite, some days being a parent is the fucking worst and that’s ok.
DrachenDad@reddit
I don't regret having a kid, I also don't regret being a single parent. The only thing I regret is their egg donor.
Fearless-Pineapple-4@reddit
I don't regret having my kids. It's been very hard. Especially them teenage years.
But, I do wonder what life would have been like if I hadn't had kids.
JanisIansChestHair@reddit
No, but fuuuck do I need a break, it’s been 4yrs since I had one.
chicaneuk@reddit
I have twin boys who are nearly four. I don't regret it in so much as they are bright, funny, brilliant little dudes who I am genuinely excited to see grow up. They make me laugh every day.
On the other hand I am broke, isolated, exhausted, mentally and physically destroyed.. I am not entirely sure it's been worth it.
Rough-Arrival7616@reddit
No, but I regret other people having kids. Some proper little shits out there.
wakuwakuwuwuwu@reddit
My mother told me to my face that the biggest mistakes she has ever made in her life is having us. She had a rough upbringing and was left without much choice but to marry. She figured having kids would bring her life and self the much-needed solace, but apparently we didn't cuz "we didn't fulfill her expectations of us". You have no idea how much that hurt my siblings and I.
I just want to put this out there to anyone thinking about having kids: don't have kids if you ever have the slightest doubts or uncertainty. Ultimately, kids are the victims of unhappy marriage/parents and I can tell you that they don't deserve that, just because you made a decision that you regret for the rest of your life.
ToThePillory@reddit
No kids, no regrets.
My siblings all have kids, and it really doesn't look all that appealing to me, I've never once envied them.
They seem to enjoy the first few years, where it's all just fun and days out, but the misery seems to kick in once the kid has opinions.
CherrySG@reddit
I loved being a mum ( he's nearly 30 now) and I still do. Wish I'd had more.
CuzmanECFC@reddit
My only tattoo is on my hip. It says "Divya". An Indian girl I was with 17 years ago went 29 weeks and miscarried. We had named her. I then spent 11 years with a girl who was on the pill and then told me she had endometriosis, and couldn't have kids.
millerz72@reddit
Being a parent is tough, but having kids is great.
My daughter is under 2 so were still bang in the middle of the intense “parenting” phase (I’m told it gets easier!) It’s tough and super intense, she’s exploring the world but has no sense of danger or what’s acceptable behaviour. Learning her emotions too so lots of big feelings she can’t understand or control. 5am wake ups every day don’t help either.
But she brings incomparable joy to my life, nothing else comes close
Honestly though, one and done….
janelope_@reddit
Love being parent.
My daughter is such a joy.
Like anything else parenting has it's ups and down.
Most the time it's so rewarding and fun. There are times it challenges you. But thats the same with many things in life.
Nothing in the world makes me happier than a cuddle and playing silly games together.
And oh my gosh, watching them learn and grow.
I feel so proud of my daughter.
Insideout_Ink_Demon@reddit
I don't regret being a parent, but it's not an easy task and there are no days off, which is exhausting
stabbycrabby40@reddit
I have a 5 year old who is being assessed for ASD. It is so hard sometimes. For me it is worth it. She is worth it. I get cuddles, lots of love and hugs.
Future_Way6512@reddit
"I get cuddles, lots of love and hugs."
Doesn't that sound selfish?
hal2142@reddit
That’s good and all but I get all of that from my dog
BeccasBump@reddit
I love and spoil my cats to a level bordering on absurdity. It isn't the same. I get why pet-parents without children think it is - if you don't have children it's impossible to understand how much you love them. It's more like obsession; they literally rewire your brain.
Which isn't to say I think you ought to have children. It isn't for everybody, and if you're happy being fancy-free with your dog, I think that's brilliant and more power to your elbow.
Just there's a reason you never see parents saying, "Yeah, I love Olivia and Fluffles pretty much the same. It's a coin-toss which one I'd save if the house was on fire."
stabbycrabby40@reddit
I have two dogs and a child. Before I had my child I had depression and the only reason I would get out of bed was to take care of my dogs. My child was born prematurely and had to stay in Special Care Baby Unit for 5 weeks. There is something heart breaking when they took my baby away while I was begging to just look at her. Then not being able to touch while she was on the tubes inside the incubator. They are not the same species and the love is different
snoringpanda23@reddit
It was just a joke 😃
Siilvverr@reddit
I have a dog and kids and it's not the same.
stabbycrabby40@reddit
No it's not the same at all
Excellent-Map-5808@reddit
My partner and I both retired before we hit 30. No kids, pets or plants and no worries - we are having the time of our lives….everyday!
That_Copy7881@reddit
Some of these posts opened my world up a little. I personally love having kids. I feel a lot of fear about their futures, and they shit me often, but they are funny and unique and it's a joy (most of the time) seeing them grow. Except the excessive pokemon fucking lectures (15yo) and the refusal to give up roadblox (13.5yo). Mate, you want shitty graphics, let me tell you about the 90s.
12bWindEngineer@reddit
I don’t have kids because I would have absolutely regretted every second of it. I love my niece and two nephews, but I love giving them back to my sisters and then sleeping uninterrupted all night.
BigFackingChungus@reddit
No I don’t regret it. I love being a mom. Of course it’s hard and some days are easier than others. But the good moments far outweigh the stressful ones. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
aredditusername69@reddit
No, but I regret ever signing up for reddit sometimes.
Fubianipf@reddit
Parenting is definitely tough... but why not think carefully before getting one
jubube02ll@reddit
Nah i have immense joy, fulfillment, and love through raising my kid
ImJB6@reddit
Have a look at r/regretfulparents…
worthysmash@reddit
We have two, and were blessed not to have any disabilities or significant developmental troubles. I can’t even imagine what the challenges faced by the comments above have been through.
I’ve never once regretted having kids. But it is all-encompassing and everything else fades to background. I often say that I wouldn’t make different choices, hit I wish I could go back in time.
I’d love to ‘holiday’ back in 2014; me and my wife on Majorca, with a fag in one hand and a beer in the other. Not a care in the world beyond me and her having fun. A little spell back then would be nice.
starbuck8415@reddit
I have a 9 year old with no SEN or disability needs. She’s academic, kind, funny, clever and interesting. Even I sometimes fucking struggle to want to parent because she can equally be none of those things if she’s in a foul mood. I can’t leave, I can’t tell her to fuck off and walk out like I would with an adult acting up. So…..I doth my cap to anyone that’s honest about parenting especially with kids that are far more difficult.
Careful-Increase-773@reddit
Yup, even “normal” kids are tough, my first is autistic and I feel like I started my parenting experience on hard mode, my second so far appears neurotypical and is still a lot of work
Careful-Increase-773@reddit
I don’t regret having kids, I just feel sad that we don’t have the village needed to raise them without extreme difficulty
01892_REG@reddit
Recently became a Dad (3 week old son), and I don't regret it at all.
Me and my wife have been together 4.5 years and constantly talked about wanting kids after marriage. I mainly wanted kids to be able to give them the upbringing I was so lucky to have. I loved my childhood. Unfortunately, it's so much harder nowadays to replicate what was possible 20 years ago because everything is so damn expensive but thank God we're at least financially stable.
I completely love seeing my son grow and develop every day, and have loved seeing my wife become the amazing mother I knew she would be. I'm so proud of my wife's support, our communication and teamwork so far because honestly, if any of this was lacking this would be a fucking nightmare.
The only thing I questioned before having a kid was if I could handle the lack of sleep, since I used to love my sleep so much but as mentioned in another comment, it's more work but you have more energy. It's almost like survival instinct kicks in and the whole experience takes you outside of yourself.
I know raising my son and any future children will be the most fulfilling challenge I will ever face, so no regrets. Loving every minute, as difficult as it is.
Spottyjamie@reddit
Its hard for me because mine is the first child in our family in close to 25 years so we have to miss many family get togethers as theyre at times/places unsuitable for a child
Also it seems like its just people my age going out socialising/city breaks etc and again, hard with a child. We usually take turns going out as opposed to together.
BUT on the flipside being a dad is a lot of fun at times, ive developed more tolerance and understanding of kids&parents.
glamourise@reddit
this thread has kinda put me off having children
Feisty_Jacket_6103@reddit
I do not regret having my son. He is 16 years old and it's been the 2 of us his whole life. It was hard trust me being a not just a single mom but a single African-American mother with a biracial son, however I do not regret one minute of it because without my son I wouldn't know unconditional love. It takes time and parenting does not come with a book or instructions. You just have to pray and ask God to give you patience and wisdom to guide your kids correctly. I hope this helps or brings some peace.
hittherock@reddit
Dad of a 2 year old here. It's very, very, very hard at times and there are moments where I wish I could freeze time and not do parenting for a bit. It's overwhelming and physically and mentally exhausting. I end most days feeling completely drained. That said, I have zero regrets and I would give or do anything for my son. I'm at work right now and I'd love to go home for 10 minutes to see him.
jonquil14@reddit
This is it - there are no breaks from it. You just have to keep going, no matter how you feel, you just have to keep doing the thing.
LateFlorey@reddit
I have a nearly 2 year old and completely agree. Today I let him nap an extra 30mins than usual as I was exhausted.
Although it’s really difficult at some points, it’s not all bad as I’m pregnant with number 2 lol.
hittherock@reddit
Awesome, congrats! I want number 2 but I'm only just getting used to sleeping again!
Threatening-Silence@reddit
Survive until 5. It gets a lot better once they're in school. Just hang on.
Full_Employee6731@reddit
5? Holy crap.
savvymcsavvington@reddit
pre-school can be from age 3
Usually just for a few hours a day or maybe more depending on how much money people wanna spend
Just getting 2-3 hours child-free 1-3 times per week as a parent is goood
jonquil14@reddit
No, but the really thought thing to adjust to (especially when you’ve just had your first baby) is that THERE IS NO TIME OFF. No buffer time, no time to just rest and reset, it’s just being on the go all day every day. If you’re breastfeeding, you’re on duty 24/7. Now, as the baby gets bigger and eats solids, gets accustomed to other caregivers, can go to childcare/school, obviously it gets easier and you get some of that time back, and you get more breaks and time to breathe. But seriously, having a newborn, especially the first time, is one of the hardest transitions in your whole life. It’s relentless. I really struggled with having almost no control over my own time during that phase. It really only started to lift when my kid started childcare.
I don’t regret it because during that period and beyond my kid and I built an amazing bond, and I love her more than anything. I always wanted kids, and it took me a long time to have one, but even I was shocked at how hard and scary and isolating it it. I think the reason people complain is that the world is just not supportive of parents. I don’t mean individual people, but what I mean is that nowadays everyone needs to work, so there’s very limited help from family and friends during the hardest parts of early parenthood. And then you have to go back to work yourself, long before your kid starts sleeping through the night, stops breastfeeding, or starts using the toilet on their own. You only need to look back a couple of generations to see what it was like when households didn’t need two adults working to pay the mortgage (leaving aside that it was sexist that women were expected to stay home and men weren’t). Grannies and aunts and friends and neighbours weren’t all in paid work so there was community around you, and once your kids got a bit bigger, you supported the newer mums yourself. Nowadays most grannies are still working full time, even if you are lucky enough to live nearby and trust them with your kids.
skend24@reddit
We’ve got two cats. We’re thinking of adopting another two. Does that count?
Skrill3xy@reddit
I planned on no kids and accidently ended up with one, since him I want more.
The days are long, they are boring, the house gets messy quicker than I can clean, I have had tears over sleepless nights, I have read the most mind numbing books for hours just because it keeps him happy, and I have say with him in a carpark whilst he screamed and cried for two hours because he didnt want to get in the pushchair.
That being said, I love his funny voices, I love when he gives me a nose kiss, I love that he dances all the time when theres music, and sometimes even when there isnt, I love that he calls every meal breakfast, and that whenever we go out to eat I have to read the entire menu to him because it is a new book, and how he says goodnight to every teddy.
I dont regret it at all, but people tend to notice the negative more than the positive. Kids are hard, I dont feel like parenting most days but we are parents and its just what we have got to do. I want more, after I have finished my degree and worked for a few years, and hopefully planned this time!
Orphan-red@reddit
Regret isn’t the right word but I don’t know what is the right word. I have a son and he’s just amazing. He’s 1 and a bit now and I couldn’t live without him. But at the same time he’s made me never want another child. Because it is very hard especially early days/months. You do lose freedom and your priorities shift. I don’t like other kids either but my child is my entire world. You’ll never regret the child/children you have. You’ll definitely morn the life you once had though
Specific-Caramel-693@reddit
Three grown kids and ten grandchildren. Hard work, rough patches, and cannot imagine life without any of them. Also, husband and I each had careers, I only regret that I didn’t focus all my energies on them when they were young but just couldn’t have been a very happy stay-at-home mother. Would I have done anything differently? Yes! More patience, not given them as much leeway, but I was selfish, too. My husband was the better parent yet I’m loving being their grandmother. No do overs so it is what it is.
queen_of_burnout@reddit
No regrets but I do wish I hadn't lol I love them to death but I wish I had whatever it is to not want kids. I always wanted them but life would be so much easier if I hadn't. But that's like wishing you were bald and did not have hair so you did not have to manage it. Life is better with kids for me, but ah the sweet freedom if I didn't.
Walksintherainfan@reddit
No, I have two teens - one autistic so it had been challenging at times but I don’t regret it at all.
2wheelbanditt@reddit
My kids give me a reason to live. They’re little assholes but they’re the best little assholes in the world and I couldn’t imagine life without them. Parenting is hard but it all becomes worth it as you watch them flourish
PeterG92@reddit
I'm 31 and don't have kids (or a partner) but my biggest worry would be that I wouldn't be a good enough father.
mars_was_blue_too@reddit
We’re programmed to want kids and the emotional sentiment is like a bribe that keeps you happy about having them even if your life is objectively worse in every way because of it. Not saying that’s a good or bad thing, but typically no one will regret having kids unless they have an atypical psychology, basically narcissists and abusers might regret it, but ‘healthy’ people rarely would except in exceptional circumstances.
debu_chocobo@reddit
Worst decision I've ever made.
I have two autistic boys - one has an IQ of 59. The other is closer to looking normal but that means he gets less help and sympathy. Having kids ruined my relationship with my wife - she has blamed me for our kids. I don't have time to keep up with my job - I feel absolutely third rate.
I was diagnosed deslyxic when I was eight but I might be autistic or ADHD. Always had trouble concentrating, and every new skill I learn has a steep learning curve - I just know it's only a matter of time before I severely disappoint someone new.
My parents instilled a good work ethic in me while making sure I knew I wasn't good enough. I somehow got through university and found something I could do very successfully and enjoyed. I somehow met the love of my life and spent ten years finally able to have some pride.
I tried to give my kids as much as I could. Life was difficult for me and I wasn't going to let life eat them. Little did I know I was the problem.
I love my boys very deeply. My older son is the only person I've had the kind of relationship I've ever had with my wife. Honestly I don't deserve his love - in spite of his difficulties (which I am wholly responsible for) he makes the most of life. I wanted to give him the ability to, stand on his own two feet- and that he will never have.
They deserve so much better.
This_Rom_Bites@reddit
I have no children and have no regrets about that.
Never wanted them, don't enjoy being around them, can't afford them, wouldn't want to pass my laundry list of inheritable chronic diseases on to them. Also planet burning up/dystopia approaching rapidly etc.
I don't wish them any harm, don't resent their existence, would intervene to prevent one running off a cliff, do smile and wave at staring toddlers, will feign interest in Paw Patrol or whatever for five minutes, have even let a couple of them plait my hair and stick barettes and whatnot all through it - but I generally prefer to be as far away from them as possible, so go out of my way to stay out of theirs.
Absolutely will grumble about them yelling right through the In Paradisum from the Fauré Requiem or persistently and repeatedly crashing their toy cars into my feet at a wedding reception, though; I'm not a saint.
Elster-@reddit
My wife didn’t really like our firstborn and struggled with post natal depression.
Still loved her just didn’t really care for having her. Took a while to adjust, with the second it was very different and she immediately adored the baby.
bozwold@reddit
Yes. But maybe not for those reasons. When my firstborn was 5 I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease, which I found out was hereditary but I'd never been warned. Most of my family have some sort of illness or disease, from arthritis to blood cancer, which I didn't find out until after I'd had kids.
If I'd know there was a risk to pass this on I'd have cut my bollocks off myself
BeccasBump@reddit
I know how you feel, I think. I have the BRCA2 gene, which means I have an 85% chance of breast cancer and a 30% chance of ovarian cancer (or did without prophylactic surgery, which I'm in the process of getting; however, I will still have an elevated risk of certain other cancers, and there isn't much they can do about that). My children have a 50/50 chance of having the gene; they were 4.5 and 2 when I found out.
Had I known before they were born, I would have done IVF and had the embryos screened. (I don't know whether that would have been a possibility for your condition - mine is one where it's very much it's this change on this bit of code; I know a lot of inheritable conditions are fuzzier than that.)
However, if I could turn back the clock and swap my daughter and son for two other children who were guaranteed not to carry the gene, nothing on earth would persuade me to accept that deal. I bet you wouldn't either. My children without that iffy gene? All day long. Different, guaranteed 100% BRCA2 free children to replace them? Absolutely not.
All that to say, I don't think you regret being a parent - I think you regret that you, and possibly your child, have been dealt a shitty hand. And who wouldn’t regret that?
The_Sown_Rose@reddit
Part of my reason to not have a child is I’m a haemophilia carrier. I’d be terrified of having a son, although a daughter could be a carrier too and some carriers do express haemophilia. I could have a healthy child, I could have one who bleeds to death from falling over in the playground - it’s just a coin toss, and I didn’t want to do that.
coconut-gal@reddit
We also decided against because of a 50-50 chance of a very serious heritable illness.
It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make but ever since committing to it I've seen nothing but positives in our decision and a ton of reasons I hadn't even considered as to why it was the right move. It actually scares me how many people have kids out of FOMO when there are so many reasons not to
Cultural_Ad9680@reddit
I am still debating as it’s not proven that my autoimmune condition is hereditary. No one in my family had it, or I simply don’t know that someone did. I can have kids now, technically I would want them BUT it bothers me just in case I pass this illness to them. Plus my husband’s and my family suck so we are both no contact. Probably God doesn’t want us to procreate putting all these hurdles in place
Odd-Weekend8016@reddit
This is the thing stopping me. I technically could have children, plenty of people with my condition do. But it's so painful, I couldn't morally have a child with a 50% chance of going through what I went through. My parents didn't know about Ehlers-Danlos, but it is genetic and now I know about the risk.
3106Throwaway181576@reddit
A colleague of mine regrets his last kid.
Had 3, all high achievers, had a 4th, physically and developmentally disabled, and basically broke down one day that he is now only a parent to one kid, and a babysitter for the other 3.
He even said he wishes the kid died as a baby to spare the kid suffering and so he could be a dad and his wife could be a mum to his other kids who they now emotionally neglect because they just have no time.
Was very sad. Was part of why me and my wife stopped at 2. The risk of a 3rd coming out wrong at my wife age and ruining the lives of our girls… we couldn’t risk it.
Runaroundheadless@reddit
Yes and no or vice versa. However you get some perspective on life however it goes. A kid is not for Christmas.
Sad-Page-2460@reddit
The problem with this question is most people who do regret it won't admit they regret it. So nobody will ever get a true answer to this question.
Small-Scouser@reddit
Babies and children are the purest, most perfect things on the planet. I adore kids. I have a step daughter (17) a son who has autism (10) and a daughter (nearly 2) who we suspect has autism too. I wouldn’t change them for the world… but I’d change the world for them
PsychedelicKM@reddit
Nah. My baby can be an absolute arsehole, I'm constantly tired, feeding him is an impossible task and it has put a little bit of a strain on my marriage, its the hardest thing I've ever done, HOWEVER, watching him grow and learn and laugh and develop is the best thing I have ever witnessed. I absolutely love this child with all of my heart and life is so much more meaningful now. I have a reason to work hard, to look after myself, I have a new respect for my body, I am generally more fulfilled. I'm not saying you need kids for that but I personally have benefited in those ways. But yes there are moments every single day where I think to my baby just fuck off I don't want to be mom today. Then five minutes later he'll laugh and I'll go right back to loving being mom.
schmoovebaby@reddit
For the first three months I definitely regretted it. She’s seven now and just the absolute best. I’m not saying it’s easy (even with a really easy kid) but I definitely don’t regret it now
emotionalgangsta91@reddit
The moment I felt regret for having my kids would be the moment I loose all love and respect for myself. Doesn’t even make sense to me that 🫣
eunuch-horn-dust@reddit
Definitely don’t regret having a child. He’s almost 2 years old and every new phase that he’s grown into has been even more brilliant than the one before. I actually miss him when he goes to bed. I’m not saying I’m not knackered but my life is a million times more fulfilling with him in it.
Ozzytheaussy@reddit
Getting referred for the snip tomorrow! Can't wait
RoundAd5420@reddit
Excellent.
CrystalinaKingfisher@reddit
I don’t have kids, and I’m glad I don’t! It’s a definite choice; I can’t see any good reason to.
150mgTrenbolone@reddit
Nah it’s the bloody best
Rozzo_98@reddit
Coming from someone in Australia…
Mad respect to all the parents who have kids with disabilities.
This is coming from someone on the Aspergus Spectrum.
It’s never easy, I truly commend you all for doing the best you can to help support those in all kinds of circumstances. Downs syndrome, ADHD, Autism… no matter what additional needs your children have…
I really feel for you.
It’s such a tough gig being a parent, but adding on these disabilities is another can of worms.
Take care of your little ones, and don’t forget to take care of yourselves 💜
Au_Dazza@reddit
Definitely don’t regret it because I love them however if I was in my early 20’s now I would not have children.
mycatiscalledFrodo@reddit
No but some weeks it's like groundhog day and that can get wearing. For example the school run; 5 days a week 48 weeks of the year for the last 7 years (Barr some lockdown time off) i have had to say "we need to do your hair, have you actually brushed your teeth, where's your tie and put your shoes on" that gets a bit tedious!
WoollenItBeNice@reddit
I can feel "brush your teeth" and "put your shoes on" wearing a groove in my vocal chords.
mycatiscalledFrodo@reddit
It's really not hard right??!! Every bloody day it's the same and yet being asked to put shoes on takes them by complete suprise
Potatosoup6435@reddit
Sometimes, only for a few moments but in those few moments I question everything!
I didn’t really ever want children but ended up trapped in an abusive and controlling relationship and had 4 beautiful babies. I love them so much and wouldn’t change my life for the world most of the time but my youngest has ADHD and my eldest has autism, is non verbal and can be really violent.
Some days I wish I was in another house with a dog and a t.v with low volume, no one needing me or spilling drinks etc. but at the end of the day when it all calms down I can’t think of anything better than waking up to these little people in the morning.
rkingd0m@reddit
Yes… everyday because it keeps me linked to their father who caused me a lot of harm. I regret that I can’t live my life away from him and even though we’re divorced I regret that I still have to have very limited comms with him. He used to impact me a lot more and this caused the breakdown of a relationship which I am very sorry about. The result is I don’t share about how damaging I find him with anyone… but the other day I went into a meeting room at work and cried. It’s the first time in a long time which is an improvement on a few years ago. It was just a few moments to myself that I need to acknowledge my regrets every now and again.
PrimcessToddington@reddit
My firstborn daughter died at four days old and I felt robbed of the full motherhood experience after meeting and falling in love with my child. I was wanted to feel that again, despite it all and knowing what I was risking were I to lose another child. I now have her twelve week old sister sitting on my knee, we’re just coming out of the fourth trimester with sleep deprivation and all the other hard bits but it’s been amazing and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I’ve experienced the worst of parenthood (burying a child) and I still would sign up for this over and over again because it’s worth it. These tiny humans that I can pour love into and help raise into (hopefully) good and happy adults are worth any amount of hardship parenthood throws at me. My heart is full.
Rasty_lv@reddit
Nope. My 8yo can be annoying sometimes, but he is amazing. Won't change my mind.
OwlTowel9@reddit
The joy that a child brings you far outweighs all of the negatives that you might associate with having a child.
Bblacklabsmatter@reddit
Nah. Genuinely the best feeling ever
Ancient_hill_seeker@reddit
I love having my kids, nothing mattered before they came. I really enjoy spending time with them, especially the cuddles. I know the hard days are just them developing as each year passes. My only regret is not having them sooner.
Lebowski85@reddit
I love being a dad. Beat thing I ever did. My marriage hasn't failed well though.....
xxGamma@reddit
Had a vasectomy at 24. Currently 28.
Never when I was growing up did I envision myself with children. I hate children, they are annoying, they are loud, they are gross, they are all consuming and worst of all is the parents who don't give a shit and refuse to actually instill any semblance of manners or boundaries in their little darlings.
You may say the parents are the problem and not the kids, but if I have kids, I will be obliged to live in that world of soft play areas and bouncy fucking castles, making small talk with run down shells of former adult humans who have no identity but to parent.
I know, in my heart, that a, I would be a fucking dogshit parent and b, I do not want to be a parent, so made the decision. Luckily my partner shares my distain for kids (though not nearly to the level I do). So she also encouraged me to get the snip.
4 years in, absolutely no ragrets m8.
ProfessionalCowbhoy@reddit
Not for even a millisecond.
Give me another 10 just like the one I have and I'd bite your hand off.
PeteRoe@reddit
My daughter is coming up for 3 years old and not for one second do I regret it. She is the best thing to ever happen to me and seeing her grow up the way she is makes me so proud.
Another one on the way in October too.
j_svajl@reddit
Parenting is really hard, the hardest thing you'll ever do even with an angel of a child, especially the sleep deprivation over time which compounds everything else. But it's worth it and most parents are fine with this trade even if they moan. Sometimes it's just good to get it off your chest.
I love it and my child. I'd choose being a parent over not being a parent. What you don't always hear, and this is a shame, is how much fun it is to be a parent.
whoredwhat@reddit
I shouldn't have had children when I did. My partner at the time really wanted them, I think she had a hard childhood and though that she would be an amazing patient mum. I had the children because I wanted to make my partner happy.
I found the whole thing super hard... and even then I wasn't a good parent. Always tired, grumpy and not very capable (or so I thought, and so did my partner apparently).
Do I regret it? No, not really... my kids forced me to grow up a bunch, get a career so I could look after them and their mum.
I share custody with me ex now, and my kids are wonderful. They're still challenging and I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing... but I'm definitely better for having them and I hope I'm doing OK by them.
k8s-problem-solved@reddit
I was always a don't want them person. Ended up having a daughter at 42 and love it, she's great and I love seeing her personality develop. She's my best mate.
It's testing at times, I miss spontaneously just travelling or doing things, going out is much more limited now but I'm 46 so should be winding my neck in anyway.
Its definitely made me a more tolerant and patient person. I have more empathy for others with kids & it's fun having friends doing the same.
Overall, very happy I changed my mind 😌 but I think being in a good place in a relationship and financially is important, I'd done travelling and partying so happy to move into next stage of life and not feel like I missed out on anything
Holiday_Decision_661@reddit
I don't regret having children but being a parent is so tiring. We can't help it that we share the negative one as we need to tell it to someone, you know just taking the loads out from ourself.
Does your friend have any support system near her? You can help her emotionally or physically. :)
impamiizgraa@reddit
This is a very interesting thread. I can say with absolute certainty that if I had children, I would regret having them. I'm 35 so sailing past the time - no regrets so far and hopefully when I'm firmly in my 40s, nosy people will stop asking me about it.
evavu84@reddit
I haven't had kids and I've never regretted it. I'm 41 so still a long way to prove this but happy with my choices so far. I have a gorgeous dog, cat and a creative business of my own. Almost paid off the mortgage and go on regular holidays. Feeling happy with my choices!
CarolDanversFangurl@reddit
Parenting is work. I don't like working. But I do like hanging out with my kids. The good parts don't feel like parenting, they're fun and rewarding. I'd happily skip the bedtime and homework dramas forever but needs must.
blueandgrey82@reddit
I've seen the worst conditions of children in slums and growing up neglected did not help either. This only taught me that if you can't care for children don't have them.
Also, I have a strained relationship with my family so my thinking is that children will be independent human beings having a mind of their own. The emotional rollercoaster will not be something I can cope with.
I've never had strong maternal instincts and like to be by myself often. I have a partner who is of the same mind as me.
So we are a DINK couple by choice and in our middle age, living independently and freely and never regretted it.
ExpressAffect3262@reddit
I don't regret having children, but it's naturally a very taxing 'job', so of course people would want a break now and then.
For instance, our grandparents look after our daughter for a weekend every fortnight.
fleetwood_mag@reddit
This is the dream. I wish lived near either of our folks.
Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit
Same- my husband and I were talking five minutes ago how great this would be. We have no family within a five hour drive and grandparents all live abroad. We’ve had one date night in three years- it has been a struggle. I wouldn’t change anything else though- I don’t regret them even though it is far harder than I expected.
fleetwood_mag@reddit
We’ve booked a gig in Aug and my parents have agreed to drive for 2.5 hours to come and babysit for it. They’ll stay for the weekend. It’ll be second date night in 18 months. Woohoo!
My mum looks after my siblings kids every week! It would be amazing but there’s nowhere I’d rather live than Yorkshire so..
Loud_Fisherman_5878@reddit
I also live in Yorkshire so know exactly what you mean! We have some family in London who help us out in an emergency (but still needs five hours to get to us) which has helped immensely at times but no regular babysitting- it’s hard but I prefer to live where we live despite the lack of family help!
Hamsternoir@reddit
We were in the same situation but now they are old enough so we can go out for a few hours in the evening.
ExpressAffect3262@reddit
My wife is rarely away but last weekend, I was in a funny dilemma.
As it was hot, I got the pool out as my wife was attending a wedding, so it was just me and my 3 year old for the weekend.
I got her in the pool and sat watching, then needed to get something in the house. I was about to leave then realized I couldn't as I had to watch my daughter lol
Had to carry her dripping wet to the house, grab what I needed, then bring her back (Also brought towels too lol).
fleetwood_mag@reddit
Yep it’s definitely fun when there’s no-one else to watch them!
PhDinDildos_Fedoras@reddit
I absolutely don't regret having children and now that they're older, they're extremely easy to look after too. But I do look back at when they were babies and think about what an insane amount of work it was to do a decent job of it.
Substantial_Dot7311@reddit
Not at all, can be challenging, and is costly but provides you with a huge sense of purpose.
Thestolenone@reddit
Having children was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I was in a not good situation, 19 and my mother wanted me out. I have undiagnosed autism and had crashed badly after a year of art college. She must have known there was something wrong but didn't care. I moved in with a man nearly old enough to be my father and was pregnant within a month. I had no help briging my son up, he had fairly severe bahavioural problerms but because I didn't really know what was going on with the world I had no idea how to advocate for him so he never got any help at all. I left when he was 18 and he lived with his father until his father died then lived alone. He was never able to work, have a girlfriend or anything. He died age 29 from complications following brain surgery. I just wonder what the point was.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
That is tragic, I'm sorry
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Why would you say sorry to her? I don’t get it. She’s the one who caused it. You wouldn’t say “I’m sorry” to a rapist would you?
dani-dee@reddit
The whole situation is tragic, if somebody somewhere just did one thing differently, the whole story could be different. But OP was let down by her parent and her ex (and probably various authorities as well) which is tragic. Her and her son’s life could have been very different if somebody just helped.
But you go off about what a bad she is in this situation and ignore all the failures that lead up to it.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Thank you for being the only person who’s actually made a respectful argument and not attacked me.
All I’m saying is that if you have a kid knowing the risks, you’re to blame if something goes wrong.
dani-dee@reddit
Whilst I somewhat agree, you have to look at the facts that have been presented to us. She was a neurodivergent teenager who was taken advantage of by an older man after being kicked out of her home by her own mother.
I think it’s heartbreaking that her son died so young and she thinks “what was the point” but I can’t be angry with her, I’m full of empathy for her and her son. Their lives could’ve been so much better and more fulfilling if they had the correct help, support and love.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I understand and agree with your points to an extent.
The problem then though is, people wouldn’t justify a rapist’s actions just because they had some mental issue like “neurodivergence”. She was also above the age of 18, which means she was an adult.. it doesn’t really matter if she was with an older man or not. The info is irrelevant really.
So much suffering in the world would be alleviated if people just didn’t reproduce willy nilly.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Even more suffering would be alleviated if more existing humans were capable of compassion and empathy.
dani-dee@reddit
I’m not really sure why you’re using rape in the discussion. Rape is a serious crime and if the perpetrator of rape was either seriously mentally ill or had a condition which meant they couldn’t tell right from wrong, then that would absolutely be taken into account. But OP hasn’t committed rape, she simply regrets having a child. You only have to read the post and realise her regrets are basically down to the failures and lack of support from those who should have helped her.
Neurodivergence absolutely plays a part in this story, especially when undiagnosed. Her head must’ve been an absolute mess from being kicked out by the one person who is always supposed to love, care for you and have your back. The age difference also absolutely plays a huge part. We’re not talking a couple of years, we’re talking about a teenager with a man who was old enough to be her father. Sure it’s legal but it’s not right. Especially with her vulnerabilities, the power imbalance would have been huge.
I feel sorry for anyone who can only see her as an awful person and not how utterly let down she was. As I said, one thing done differently could’ve changed everything for both her and her son.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Nah but she's not a rapist lol? She didn't have it easy, you really shouldn't be so quick to judge. Have some empathy
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Have some empathy for the kid who died at 29 you hypocrite. You’re the one who lacks empathy, not me. You’re the one making excuses for a person’s selfish decision that caused unnecessary suffering for a young kid who did nothing wrong and then suffered and died. The mother isn’t the victim, the kid is. You’re all backwards. Disgusting.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Chill out, they're both victims in different ways. You have a very black and white view of the world. When I said it's tragic I was saying it's tragic for everyone involved. Calm down
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I’m very chilled. I don’t have a black and white view of the world.
You understand that life is unfair right? You understand life entails suffering, right? You understand that bad things can happen to people, right?
If you know this, and then still decide to reproduce, you are the one at fault if something happens to the kid. You took the risks knowing full well what could happen.
This isn’t black or white thinking, it’s just reality.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Of course my child will go through times of hardship and suffering. There is also opportunity for happiness and love. Again, you're thinking very black and white.
Not reproducing is denying their right to happiness, which by your logic is just as cruel right?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
So you’re willing to put your child through suffering just to satisfy your personal desire to have a kid? Think about how selfish that is.
It’s not black and white. It’s just logic.
And no, you’re not denying your kid a right to happiness if you don’t reproduce because your kid doesn’t exist. Something that doesn’t exist cannot have rights or desires or needs or wants.
If you truly felt that way you would be ejaculating 300 times a day anyway. Because you’d be denying your unborn kids a right to happiness by not having them.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
I'm willing to put my child through suffering so that she has the chance of experiencing happiness and love and all the other things that life has to offer.
Yes, that is 100% true.
I'm not bringing her up because of any selfish desire. It's just a bonus that she also brings me so much joy in the world. Maybe one day she'll have her own children and they'll bring her as much joy too. Or maybe she won't, that's fine too, as long as she's happy.
Idk what about this screams selfish to you but keep reaching
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
What if your kid gets cancer or dies in a car crash? What if he/she is suicidal? What if your kid is born disabled?
Have you ever even considered these things are you just mE WaNt BaBy 🦧
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
If no one has kids then what happens to the existing humans? The suffering would be insane if no more humans were born. So in one way having a kid is not selfish it’s helping provide more hopefully good people for the future. You can look at this is many ways and there’s no one right answer.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Then that will be very unfortunate. But the chances are none of that will happen to her...
It's like saying "why do you go outside ever when you could get hit by a car?"
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
So, for the record, we’ve established that you’re willing to take the chance for your kid to die a brutal death because you personally believe life is worth it.
And no it’s not like saying that…
Once you’re alive you’re alive. Going outside once you’re alive is not the same as creating another person
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Yes, a million times yes. Switch on your logical brain for a second - the chances of dying a brutal death is so slim. Odds are she'll live a normal happy life. Most people outside of your strange antinatalist reddit community are actually gateful to be alive. So OBVIOUSLY I'm going to give her that opportunity. You do you though.
I'm honestly sorry that you think life is so shitty. You must have been through a lot to feel that way. I really hope you find happiness and love in this life 💛
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Buddy, even if it’s a 0.1% chance you’re still taking the risk to satisfy your own selfish desires. You’re willing to create suffering to fulfil your fantasy. Sick.
Anyway, why haven’t you got 10,000 kids? After all, life is a gift, no? Why are you denying your 10,000 kids a right to happiness? Seems you’re on my side as well but you just don’t know it.
You’re calling me strange yet you’re the one who’s deluded.
Firstly, my life is great. You don’t need to be depressed to understand that people suffer.. you just need to be a good person with morals. Which you’re not.
Secondly, you couldn’t give a shit about my life.. you’re just trying to take the moral high ground and pretend you care.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
No, I'm willing to take that 0.1% chance so that she gets the chance to experience happiness and enjoy life, like most people in the world. Stop twisting it.
10000 kids is impossible. How would I provide for them? If I have 1 I can invest all my effort into ensuring they have a good happy life. Hope that answers your question.
I do understand that people suffer. I just also see the good and the value in life. You seem to think that the suffering overrides the good and that is just sad. I feel sorry for you bro.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Hold on a second. You just said before that there’s a chance they can be happy even with suffering. Now you suddenly care about providing for them? You’ve just completely contradicted yourself. I thought suffering didn’t matter because there’s a chance they can be happy? Now you’re concerned that you can’t provide for them so you won’t have 10,000 kids??? That’s basically an antinatalist take. You’re agreeing with me.
Bro, why would you feel sorry for me? My life is great. I’m fit, healthy, financially free and physically free. I feel sorry for YOU. You’re running circles in your head justifying why you should have one kid, and then justifying why you shouldn’t have 10,000 kids. You’re a walking contradiction and you don’t even know what you believe. Shambles.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Yeah there is, but they're more likely to be happier if they don't have to compete with 9999 siblings
I'm not trying to justify anything to you. I'm content with my decision. I'd die for my kid.
I'm glad you're happy. Just seems like you're not because you seem to equate life with suffering? Lol
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
So now you’re making an argument of %s just like I did
You’re just as much as antinatalist but in a “popular” way.
You don’t even see your own contradictions.
Just because I’m happy doesn’t mean I can’t see the suffering in life.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Do you even know what antinatalism is? An antinatalist believes nobody should reproduce.
I don't believe that. Therefore, I am not an antinatalist. You lack basic logic for someone who thinks they're so smart.
If you're so happy why do you think humans should not reproduce? Because you think the suffering is greater than the good that life has to offer?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
You won’t ever come around because your ego is too strong.
And yes I believe that dying a brutal death trumps smelling flowers on a sunny day. Because I have empathy and care about people.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Yeah, I won't ever come round, ever.
Dying a brutal death is a fate that the majority of people will not suffer. I wouldn't deny billions of people happiness just because a tiny fraction will suffer.
Whereas you would deny billions of people happiness just so a tiny fraction don't suffer.
You can call me selfish if you want, but if you change your lens you are equally if not more selfish to a larger amount of people.
At the end of the day, both of our opinions are subjective philosophical viewpoints. Believe what you want.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Again, you’re not denying billions of people happiness… they don’t exist. They can’t miss out on anything.
This then goes back to the other point that you’re a walking contradiction.
You’re not willing to deny your 1 child happiness, but you’re willing to deny your 9,999 children happiness.
I’m not denying my kids happiness by not having them because they don’t exist.
And if you have 1 kid, and not 10,000, you’re 99.999% the same as me, you just did 1 more than me. Get it yet?
Mine isn’t subjective.
Not having kids = guaranteed to not suffer Having kids = guaranteed to suffer
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
You are though, potentially. You're right that they don't exist yet, but what I'm saying is it's not incorrect to say that purposefully ending the human race by deliberately not reproducing is denying future generations of happiness. Just because they don't exist yet doesn't mean we're not affecting how the future would pan out.
Me choosing to have 10000 kids would only cause suffering though. Like I said, where would they live? This isn't a contradiction. This means there is a certain limit to the amount of children a person can have before they won't be able to provide for them properly. For me, my limit is 1. My parents had 9 and we all turned out just fine. For you, that limit is 0. Good for you.
Logic really isn't your strong point. Yep, the difference between us is I'd have 1 kid and you'd have 0. That is a difference of just 1 kid, but thay difference is what makes you an antinatalist and me not an antinatalist. Big difference. Get it yet?
All philosophical viewpoints are subjective. Number 1 rule in philosophy.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Like I said… you’ll never come around because of your ego
I’m done arguing with you. Lost cause
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Hahahahaha I win 🥳
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
What has logic got to do with any of this? We’re creatures doing what creatures do. It’s not meant to be logical.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Then surely with that line of thinking anything that happens to any of us isn’t our fault because we didn’t choose to be born. So the mother in this situation wasn’t at fault, her parents were for having her and she had autism and didn’t know how to take care of herself so got taken advantage of by an older man and had a kid she didn’t know how to look after - all that was her parents fault for having her, and they didn’t choose to be born either so I guess their parents are to blame? Is this Original Sin you are talking about?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I didn’t say she was a rapist. I’m saying she’s the one who’s responsible for the suffering of the victim the same way a rapist is. You wouldn’t say sorry to a rapist but you say it to a mother who had a kid she couldn’t look after.
I’m not judging. That’s like me telling you not to be quick to judge a rapist and to have empathy for a rapist lol.
Mental.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
She's not though. Rapists set out to cause deliberate harm to another person. This lady didn't do that. It was an unfortunate sequence of events. She stuck around till he was 18, she at least tried. She wasn't dealt a great hand to begin with - if you were in her shoes you can't say whether you would have done a better job or not. Stop acting like you know it all when you simply do not.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Yes she is. How isn’t she? She’s the one who created the innocent person without their consent. She took the risk knowing what the risks were. Nobody is forced to have kids.
It’s not about how well of a job she did after.
She shouldn’t have had a kid in the first place. That’s the point.
I don’t understand how such simple logic goes over your head. The human ego is insane.
nightsofthesunkissed@reddit
What are you getting out of this?
Can’t you find something better to do with your Sunday evening? Go for a walk something. Get some air.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
What are YOU getting out of this?
I’ve been out all day. I’m childfree, financially free and healthy.
Stop projecting.
I care about innocent people suffering. You don’t.
I can’t believe how insane you people are. You’re more concerned about the ego/feelings of the person who CREATED suffering, rather than the person who ACTUALLY SUFFERED.
And you’re gaslighting and blaming me because I call out the BS.
Absolutely mental and disgusting. I don’t harm anyone. I don’t cause suffering to anyone. Not a single person has died because of me. Yet you treat me like I’m the one who’s wrong. I n s a n e.
nightsofthesunkissed@reddit
You’re clearly miserable as fuck that you’ve felt the need to treat someone who LOST A CHILD like some of rapist murderer criminal.
You claim to be against suffering, so then why are you inflicting all this misery on someone else then?
If you hate suffering so much, stfu with all of this disgusting shit blaming someone who went through all that hell.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Stop endlessly projecting and clutching at straws. You’re desperate to find a way to paint me black so you don’t have to look in the mirror and accept that I’m right.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MOTHER LOSING A CHILD, IT’S ABOUT THE CHILD SUFFERING YOU PSYCHOPATH.
You’re concerned only about the mother’s feelings and not the child’s immense pain and suffering you narcissist. That’s a human being that DIED ffs. And you keep talking about the mother. Shut your mouth.
YOU are the one REINFORCING suffering by URGING PEOPLE TO HAVE KIDS.
You’re so delusional, it’s scary.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
The mother suffered too though lol
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Self-inflicted.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
It's not self inflicted, she obviously had a difficult childhood. Read between the lines
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Unless she was raped, having a kid is self-inflicted.
Why are you lying?
I don’t understand why everyone on this thread is in denial.
The woman chose to have a kid regardless of the risks. That’s on her. This is an undeniable fact.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Also I do have empathy for the kid who died. One my first comments was saying I feel sorry for everyone involved. What are you even talking about? You're making up shit to argue about lol, classic strawman
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
You’re the one who doesn’t have empathy because you’re willing to put a person through suffering… I’m not. Empathy for me is paramount.
This is all backwards. It doesn’t make sense. At all.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
How can you say I don't have empathy when I literally said I feel sorry for everyone involved? Yet you're out hear saying hurtful things to lady who's been through hell and back, her son died. Do you know what empathy means?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Because you’re the one who doesn’t have empathy for your own kid. You’re willing to put them through heartbreak, sickness, and death just so they can experience temporary happiness. That’s the opposite of empathy.
I’m not saying hurtful things, I’m saying facts! I’m the one who has extreme levels of empathy for the kid who died… you’re the one who focuses on the mother’s feelings as if she’s the main character who just lost a pet or something!
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
No one on this thread seems to. It’s all about the mother… not the kid who died.
I’m the one who cares about the kid yet everyone is talking to me like I lack empathy.
Clown world. Bring on the asteroid. Humans are gone
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
People are saying they feel sorry for the kid, stop making stuff up.
The only reason people are arguing with you is because you're being insensitive to the lady who went through something so horrific.
And you wonder why people say you lack empathy lol
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
How am I being insensitive?
She chose to have a kid knowing the possible consequences.
Why would I be sorry for her? The consequences are because of her.
I don’t understand this at all. I haven’t had kids and won’t be having kids because I’m aware of the consequences. If I have a kid and that kid gets cancer for example, that’s on me and I deserve criticism! Because I’m the one who’s wrong!
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
So if you make a decision to leave the house, and then someone nearly hits you with their car, swerves into a tree and dies, is that your fault because you left the house that day at that exact time? Because if you didn't leave the house then they would never have got into an accident and died?
Of course it's not your fault. Because you didn't intend on that happening. It was an accident. Wrong place at the wrong time.
Same for the lady. She didn't intentionally cause her son to die. There were other factors at play here.
This is why you're insensitive - because you're talking like the lady did this intentionally, comparing her to a murderer or a rapist. Think about how your words might make someone feel. She is a human being.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
That’s a good argument, finally, but still not comparable.
Buddy, you are the one who’s insensitive. You said yourself you’d rather your kid suffer just so they can experience happiness.
I’m the one who does not want my kid to suffer, therefore I am not insensitive. Quite the opposite.
That’s why I’m saying this is all backwards.
The only difference here is that I’m sensitive in a way that’s not common, which is why you dismiss me.. like everyone else. 🐑
It’s scary how people follow the mob even if they’re wrong.
The lady created the scenario where her kid could suffer when she didn’t need to.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Youu think I have a big ego yet you think your opinion is right and everyone else is wrong lmfao
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I don’t have an opinion, I only state facts
You’re just labelling it as an opinion because you can’t accept the truth
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Oh so antinatalism is a fact, not a belief?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
The moral arguments behind antinatalism are logically irrefutable facts
The only way to deny them is to use faulty, biased arguments.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Nothing to do with morality is a logically irrefutable fact dude. Ethics itself is subjective.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
So murder is ok then?
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Imo no, but others may disagree
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
I'm not lying. You're just not taking her struggle into consideration. It's that lack of empathy we were talking about earlier.
Maybe if everyone on this thread is disagreeing with you, it's you who might be wrong... just a thought
nightsofthesunkissed@reddit
I’m not even the same person you were responding to before. I think you’ve got me confused with someone else.
Either way, reporting you for your insults. Now, moving on.. 🩵
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Do you wish you were never born?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
No but I wouldn’t care if I wasn’t.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Then stfu LOL. How can you say "nobody should reproduce" when you're out here enjoying life. I'm actually howling
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Because I’m not a narcissist psycho who thinks the whole world revolves around my subjective ideas.
I understand that not everyone enjoys life like I do, because I have empathy?
????
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
So just because some people don't enjoy life, nobody should reproduce?
What subjective ideas do I think the whole world revolves around? Where are you pulling this from?
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
You’re the one saying you won’t have 10,000 kids because you can’t provide for them. Why don’t you ask yourself? You care about some people not enjoying life just like I do. We are the same, how can’t you see that?
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Yep. Where in this does it say the whole world revolves around this subjective ideal? You guys can do what you want. Be child free. Have a million kids. I really don't care.
You're the one who has a say about what you think everyone else in the world should do - i.e. not reproduce. The hypocrisy is insane.
I want everyone to enjoy life. But if I had 10000 kids then probably none of them are going to enjoy life. Where would they live?
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
Can't reply to your last comment because its saying deleted, but essentially you're calling me insensitive because I said bringing a child in this world will cause them both suffering and happiness, and then said that it was still worth it.
That does not make me insensitive dude. Now if I, like you, believed life was just suffering then yeah I guess it would be sick of me to want to bring life into the world. But I don't. Believe it or not, most people enjoy life. So please tell me how is it insensitive to reproduce?
Lonely-Middle2874@reddit
Hmm.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Mad how I get downvoted for saying facts. Humans are so selfish it’s insane.
It’s undeniable that she’s the one responsible for the kid having a fucked up life, yet I’m the one who’s wrong for pointing it out.
No_Excitement4272@reddit
I think you need therapy
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I think you’re the one who needs therapy. You can’t even accept basic facts and logic, all you can do is gaslight and project because you don’t want to accept it.
It’s a common tactic for humans in denial. The truth hurts so instead of refuting the argument, resort to red herrings such as “you need therapy”.
Coward
No_Excitement4272@reddit
I’ve been in therapy since 2012, which is how I know you’re projecting.
The only one in denial is you. The facts are that we all would like to think that we’d be perfect parents even in the face adversity but that’s just not the case.
Unless you’ve actually been a parent in this situation, you have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.
I’m sorry that your parents treated you poorly, but that’s not everyone else’s problem.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Makes sense now.
-
It’s not about being a perfect parent. It’s about not reproducing in the first place
I never once criticised her parenting.
The fact is, if you have a kid and that kid dies.. that’s on you as a parent. You’re the one who took the risk without the kid’s consent.
My parents are fucking great. They’re still together, open minded, generous and caring. I’m financially free, fit, physically free and have a loving girlfriend.
You’re projecting.
No_Excitement4272@reddit
“You’re projecting” 💀 nice comeback, are you 13 years old??
Oh so you’re a spoiled, entitled brat who was coddled by their parents. That makes a lot more sense actually.
Where are you missing the fact that she was a CHILD when she got pregnant by an ADULT who GROOMED her??!
You’re acting like there’s only one child in this scenario, but there are two.
You don’t know the details of her situation or if she even had a choice in keeping the baby, so shut the fuck up and go cry to mommy and daddy about it.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
You’re just jealous that I had good parents 😘
She was not a child. She was 19. Stop lying.
You’re so bitter… carry on projecting
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
You legit need therapy tho
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Funny because I’d say the same to you.
You deny reality, gaslight and project because you can’t accept the truth.
There is absolutely nothing I’ve said that’s unrealistic or untrue.
You literally just cannot handle that such a taboo viewpoint is true, so your only resort is “YoU NeEd ThErApY” 🦧
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
What part of reality am I denying?
Honest_Scot@reddit
You’re the one who’s nuts.
No_Excitement4272@reddit
So a disabled, teen mother is unable to care for her child after being kicked out of her home and is then groomed by an older older man, and you have the audacity to compare that to rape?
You’re fucking delusional
Go project your trauma on someone else.
Head_Stick_9671@reddit
How has this simple sentence caused such an insane amount of responses.
AgreeableLurker@reddit
On the other side of this I think my mother regretted having kids. After my parents divorce she just sort of disappeared from my life. Her favourite was my brother so she called him every week, then every other week, then once a month. I'm still no contact with her and from what I've heard she's super flakey with my brother. Like will arrange to meet up with him but then nearer the time just not answer her phone.
Sea_Pangolin3840@reddit
No I don't regret it but what I wasn't prepared for is the fear ..When you love someone so much the world becomes a scarey place and the dread of loosing them or them getting hurt is for me crippling at times
thegamesender1@reddit
My child didn't start speaking until he was 16 months old. We were scared a lot that he may have a disorder, but turns out we put him too much in front of the screen. It was a lot of hard work to get him talking and most days we would have no time for each other or for ourselves. But he is the kindest person I know, and now that he has found his voice, it's the sweetest voice I've ever heard. I don't regret it a bit,.in fact I think he's growing too fast.
Conscious-Plant-8948@reddit
I don't regret having kids but I get your friend. It's relentless, sometimes rewardless and just over all tough sometimes, sounds like she's burned out to be honest, she needs a break
Reese_misee@reddit
I'm grateful everyday I've never been pregnant or had a child.
thebigbrainenergy@reddit
No regrets, but it’s a lot harder than I was expecting. I used to be chill and fun and now I feel really burnt out, reactive and old. It’s true that it gets harder as they get older too. “Bigger kids, bigger problems.” So much more to manage these days—technology, social media, bullying, fentanyl and opioids. Remember when we were kids and the worst thing you could do was smoke a joint or get drunk on the weekend? That doesn’t exist anymore.
P13453D0nt84nM3@reddit
I have a toddler and love him to bits. He’s ‘normal’ in the sense that he’s not got any unwanted conditions. It’s still exhausting most days though.
Parents that have multiples or a child with extra needs are super hero’s. I’d absolutely understand if they tapped out.
armtherabbits@reddit
I don't.
I just wish I could have more... They're growing up but it'll be a while before grandchildren...
GirthAndTerf@reddit
4 month old who survived open heart surgery at 8 weeks old, wouldn't change it for the world, he's opened my heart and my mind in ways I didn't think possible, never knew it was possible to love somebody this much, absolutely zero regrets, strong little man who smiles every day and has turned me from a man who struggled to show emotion into somebody who cries almost every time his son belly laughs.
creative_Biscuit@reddit
I think everyone has an idea of what it may be like to have kids, and then reality is very different. I have always wanted kids, and had my first at 24 and second at 28. God there are some hard times. It’s not easy, and I struggle the most with worrying about their well-being and whether I’m a good enough parent. Some days you wanna run away and never come back, other days they are your reason for living. It’s a rollercoaster. To me they are a light in my life, and although some days they drive me insane I’m so grateful for them.
lucozade_throwaway@reddit
No. I don't regret it.
I do feel that being a parent in this generation is harder than it was in my parents generation. It seemed like everyone back then had a lot more people to help, the whole "it takes a village". In my experience and a lot of the other parents I know no one really tends to have a village anymore.
laverre2@reddit
Yes. I constantly fantasize that they disappear
No-Mango8923@reddit
Yes, except for my youngest who is my golden child.
Adventurous_Quit_794@reddit
Hi mum, your oldest here.
FrostyScene1930@reddit
Honestly often I do regret even though I love them so much... But with an autistic child, and two other boys, it's draining... Having to raise them, while being insulted constantly, having to deal with the meltdowns, being kicked ... It leaves no energy to be a couple, or enjoy the happy time. Just want to crawl in bed, smoke a join and sleep.....
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
I have absolutely no idea why anyone would have a kid in 2024. War, climate change, pandemics… why would you do that to a kid?
HauzKhas@reddit
To be fair people said this during the Cold War with the threat of nuclear war.
CrazyPlantLady01@reddit
I've never regretted it, but when they were tiny there were some really hard times. It's a grind, at best. Some bits are awful, and it's very intense in the early years.
Now though (aged 5 and 7) there are hardly any hard bits, it's bloody brilliant all the time! I don't moan hardly at all but I also don't sit there banging on about how great they are because it just feels like boring, braggy chat? Might give a funny anecdote.
Your mate sounds like she's struggling and in a hard bit (for some this never ends I guess). Just try and meet her with some empathy if nothing else
Adorable-Ad8209@reddit
Pretty sure it is 'each to their own'. For me personally I have got 9yo, 6yo and a 22mo. Boy and two girls. They absolute changed my life, cost pretty much everything I earn, their middle name are Mayhem, Rebel and Havoc and those names seem so fitting some days. They take up pretty much all of my non working time and I would not trade a moment of it for anything else. Had them quite late, I am currently 55, and got a lot of what could be classed as selfish hedonism done prior to the first one being born. Do I miss that, yes is the honest answer as I really enjoyed it. Would I swap it if I could, not a chance.
Chamomilemilk5@reddit
Never. Not in a million years. However, & this is a big bloody however. There is absolutely no support for new parents these days. If there is it comes in the form of friends /close family, which I lack in both departments. It’s been incredibly difficult to parent a little one pretty much on my own plus balance poor mental health, physical issues, work & the general day to day. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we’re lucky to even have hamlets. I have family members, ‘close’ ones at that, that have seen my kid once or twice in the 3 years since I gave birth. People expect you to come to them so they can see your child. I dno whether my experience is unique to me but it’s the loneliest thing I’ve ever been through at times. Everyone just tells you to get on with it, but ignores the fact that you’re literally doing things on your own.
My child? Amazing. Funny, intelligent, spirited, Cliche but 100000% the best decision I ever made in my life & would make the same decision for an infinite number of lifetimes. Seeing them smile and laugh and grow is the best thing I’ve ever experienced and long may that continue. I adore being a parent to a little person. Best thing ever. I just wish I could catch a breather every now and then
Healthy_Pilot_6358@reddit
Nope, not for a moment. Had our daughter when we were 31 and she will be 14 in the autumn. I never really thought about having kids ever but boom here she is. She is awesome.
random_character-@reddit
I feel sorry for all the people in here who are glad they didn't have kids.
At some point you will realise, and it'll be too late.
Developing_Human33@reddit
I love being an antinatalist. I do feel sorry for most kids though. Exhibit 1 of 100 right here.
FordZodiac@reddit
My regrets are that we didn't start sooner and that we had only one.
bitofafixerupper@reddit
Hardest thing I’ve ever done, my son is a ‘high needs baby’ and I’ve never been more stressed in my life. That all said, I’ve never regretted having him even for a moment, I love him more than I thought it possible to love anyone or anything and he is worth any struggle. He is the best thing to ever happen to me and I’m grateful for him every day, even when he’s being a little sod 🤣
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
No I love it more than anything. It is brutal. It is the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically mentally and emotionally but every single day my daughter does something to amaze me or is amazed by something I’d forgotten was amazing. So every day I am guaranteed some sort of wonder or awe or beauty. Yeah it’s hard work and there have been days I don’t know how I’ll physically cope (sleep deprivation) but what more could I ask for in life than to experience love and joy and wonder and a sense of purpose every day?
It’s difficult to understand it if you haven’t been through it. I never got it when people would say it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done but the best thing. I get it now! I guess it’s a bit like when people climb Everest or cycle across the world or swim the English Channel or something. The experience can be gruelling and there’ll be times you feel you can’t go on but it’s worth it because of the sense of accomplishment and the memories and the beautiful view. Except it isn’t just accomplishment, memories or a view, it’s a person. Which is even better!
Never-Any-Horses@reddit
I don't have kids but I see 2 types of parents.
The first make their kids their entire life. Their whole personality is based around the fact they are parents. It is all they talk about and usually negatively: "it's so hard, I'm so tired, you won't understand until you have your own". This type seem to struggle the most with the change to their lives.
The second type make their kids fit into their life whilst maintaining their own individual personalities/lives. They'll maintain their existing hobbies/lifestyle but just incorporate their kids into it. These seem to enjoy parenting more and generally have much more well rounded, better behaved kids.
Ok-Can-2170@reddit
Payin nursery 1000 pound a month for each kid , thats alot
CheapVinylUK@reddit
It's a tough situation. I have two wonderful, healthy children, aged 5 and 7, but they fight like lions every day. It's exhausting. Many might find it taboo to even think this, but the societal pressure to settle down and have kids is overwhelming. People rarely stop to consider what they could achieve in their lives if they weren't constantly in survival mode, resolving conflicts and meeting endless demands.
big_smith1@reddit
Don’t regret it for a second. My 2 kids are the best thing that’s ever or ever will happen to me.
Gold_Association_330@reddit
It’s unfair that those who don’t have children are called “selfish”. When people having children are doing something they want to do. So that’s hardly selfless.
AdLost576@reddit
I would never regret having my daughter. I think she’s literally the best thing to have happened to me. I do regret not travelling more before we had her. I also miss freedom, money and sleep.
Hiltoyeah@reddit
45 and no kids.
Do I regret not having kids?? Not a chance.
I would be a complete nervous wreck everytime they left the house.
WembleyToast@reddit
This is what it comes down to for me. Can't get the phone call every parent dreads if you don't have kids out in the world.
Knowing I couldn't always protect them means I'd be too emotionally fraught to be the best parent I could be. No kid deserves my racked nerves.
LongJohnSinfield@reddit
Got 2 children with SMA and one child without. The SMA can be horrendous. It takes up every second of our time, we spend probably 4 days a week in hospital almost every week, we have had to alter every aspect of our lives, including our eldest who doesn't have the disability. It's heartbreaking. You spend every day asking "why them, why not me?" You get no rest. No sleep, hardly any help from the people who should help. The government seem to not really want to help disabled kids unless you force them to. We have had to spend thousands upon thousands of pounds just to help them have a life close to normal and they are only 3 and 1 years old.
Do I regret having kids? Not for a bloody second, the best thing I ever did with my life, that unmatched joy and love is the greatest experience in the world.
91_til_infinity@reddit
Somebody somewhere MUST regret it. Come on. Own up...
Individual-Spring118@reddit
The fact someone can regret having a child is disgusting
No_Worldliness8487@reddit
I love all of my children. I do at times make jokes about the hardships of parenting but mostly to my friends that also have kids. It’s just banter though.
That being said I do wish two of mine had a different father. My only regret is being tied to him for the rest of my life. He’s an abusive narcissist who has stalked and harassed me ever since I left him. It’s exhausting trying to keep us all safe. I don’t regret having them though. They really are the only thing that has kept me going through all of this.
gna7103@reddit
Nope. I love mine so much he is the absolute light of my life. He’s one now and every single day it feels like he’s learning something new. As many have said, certain things become more challenging. A good example is that I’ve just been struck down by the flu whilst my one year old has had an ear infection and all he wants is his mum! I’d not considered that even when I’m sick my duties still stay the same.
That said, there’s nobody else I’d want to look after him whilst he’s poorly and it’s amazing how you just find the inner strength to do things that before kids would probably feel impossible. The sleep deprivation was a killer but you just sort of… manage? And then it rights itself anyway!
It’s definitely hard but I couldn’t and wouldn’t ever want to imagine my life without him.
pintofBassyouth@reddit
No regrets at all, Everyday of them has blessing and If they were taken away my meaning would cease. Any problems that came along the way were to be expected. I wish I could do it all again tbh.
Informal_Koala_1003@reddit
Kinda, my kid is the best, and I'm one hell of a parent but tbh I preferred my life without a kid.
Bwilks10@reddit
1yr old daughter here and absolutely no regrets. Although she steals my mental and physical capacity daily, which is really hard, it’s a small price to pay. Watching your child grow, learn the smallest of things that you teach them or simply noticing a tiny development is the most rewarding feeling… and it’s priceless. She completes our family and makes us happier, more fulfilled people.
That’s just my feelings; it’s a huge decision to have them and not something that should be rushed into because it’s not for everyone.
updarovers@reddit
Yep. The most worthwhile moments in life have difficult moments attached. Life's not worth living if you just cruise through it. The lows of having kids are massively outweighed by the highs.
Redditors lives seem so boring. No lows, no highs just mediocrity.
space_coyote_86@reddit
No. I've got two and the oldest one is like me and my wife's little best friend. Younger one is still only a few month old and seeing their smile and hearing them laugh just fills me with happiness.
Seeing my parents with them as well is a side of it that I don't think I heard anyone talk about before but watching my mum with them is just so, so sweet.
Obviously there are some things that I can't do any more now that I'm married with kids, like going on trips abroad on my own, but I couldn't say I'd give up my kids to have that back.
TattyBlack@reddit
Me and my husband have been married for 2 years, together for 6, and have always said we would consider having kids. I have fertility issues so we knew our journey might look a little different, and we have friends with kids who we adore and we play a big part in their lives. Over the last year or so we have both come to the realisation that we really don't want kids. We read something along the lines of "I've never thought any experience would be made infinitely better if we had kids" and it kind of really bit us that we both love our lives just the way it is. We are still being quizzed regularly by friends and family about when we will be having kids🙄
dani-dee@reddit
I regret several parts of my parenting life, but not my actual children.
I regret getting pregnant so quickly into a new relationship, we’re still together and very much in love but we’ve basically always only been parents together, we didn’t have too much young, carefree, wild fun together before I got pregnant.
I regret the 3 year age gap between the 2 and wished I’d waited a year or so longer before getting pregnant for a second time. I feel like my second child’s early years were very different to my firsts just because I was raising a toddler and a newborn at the same time.
Parenting can be incredibly hard at times and I do worry about those who always seem to talk about the negatives, it could be a huge cry for help.
RachelleKitty@reddit
100% don't regret either of my boys. I had my eldest when I was 19 and it's been a struggle at times, he's autistic and was very violent when he was younger. His dad left us (thankfully) when he was 8 months old and I raised him alone until he was 9, my mum did help when I was at work part time though. I then met my fiance and we have since had our son who is 2 soon and while there are already some signs he may be autistic too and with my fibromyalgia it can be exhausting and sometimes I get over touch stimulated, I absolutely adore them both. They're my reason for getting out of bed in the morning, they have both given me reason and purpose in my life and I would never want to imagine a life without them. They're my perfect boys ❤️
VPfly@reddit
I do not regret it. It is the greatest joy of my life. Yes it can be hard and there are a LOT of meltdowns and tantrums but that is just part of having a toddler's brain. I have two and want more but worry that I won't be able to give the two I have enough one on one time if I have more. My toddler is so funny and cheeky (also exhausting) and my baby is so happy and smiley and they both have the best laughs.
VPfly@reddit
Growing up I thought I did not want children. I definitely would have regretted not having them. I'd rather have them than any amount of sleep or relaxation ha. I do know some people who seem to regret having children. They don't say it but they are desperate to spend time away from them (like 5 or 6 days a week sometimes including an overnight)
Kazimierz777@reddit
I thought I never wanted kids through my twenties.
Now I have two and my only regret is not having more.
benjaminchang1@reddit
My mum doesn't regret having my twin brother and I, but I think she wouldn't have frozen the extra embryo if she'd kniwn we'd both be disabled. While she always knew our dad had strange behaviours, she mainly believed it was due to his troubled childhood (this was the late 90s/early 2000s, so knowledge of autism and ADHD wasn't what it is nowadays).
She only began to realise that our dad is probably autistic when my brother and I were diagnosed as kids. Things suddenly made sense, but he's never officially been diagnosed because he's 57 and self-employed, so a diagnosis wouldn't do much for him.
Because my parents had IVF, there were three embryos that had a chance of working, but they wanted two kids. This is why they froze the third embryo, and they were able to find a couple with the same ethnic mix as them (white and Chinese). Technically, my brother and I have a little brother who is a few years younger than us, but we'll probably never meet him unless he chooses to.
I sometimes worry that this kid was also born disabled due to my dad's genetics, and I think if my mum had known, then she'd never have frozen the embryo.
KerCam01@reddit
No. Got an 8 and a 15. We had six miscarriages in between them. Feel incredibly lucky.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Why would you keep trying to have kids after having a miscarriage? It seems you were prone to having them but still tried anyway? Wtf
KerCam01@reddit
I can see that you particularly enjoy trolling people around parenting and child matters from your posts.
tiramismoo@reddit
I hope you step on Lego every day for the rest of your life. Don’t say that shit to someone who has had a miscarriage.
Rhinoceraptor37@reddit
I admire the perseverance.
We had close to that amount of miscarriages and despite my desperate desire to have another, we decided that I couldn't put my Mrs through the heartache of the excitement and subsequent loss another time.
I still get sad, when friends announce their happy news, or I see something on TV, or I see another shit parent have another child (in addition to the other four or five they have already, yes I am being massively bitter and judgemental) but I try and remember how lucky I am to have a beautiful child that is happy and healthy.
We are now of the age where we are both pushing the too old side of parenthood, and so with no more heartache comes the sadness of 'what could have been'. But what a wonderful human we have created and nurtured to this point.
KerCam01@reddit
It's a really tough call to stop trying. The what ifs? And I'm sorry you went through that too. We (I) had a medical problem which the consultant was pushing all the buttons and levers to fix. Which worked in the end. I only clarify that to you, because of your response and it explains why we kept going. We were 42 when 8yo finally arrived so absolutely the end of the end of chances. So the happy ending is a blessing but we are both totally knackered! Enjoy the gift you have. It's a really tough road through that stuff.
Rhinoceraptor37@reddit
The scarring from the emergency c-section that delivered my kid caused repeated miscarriages and then a number of ectopic pregnancies, this was offered as an explanation on the last miscarriage.
Perhaps if we there had been a medical condition to work through we may have persevered. I'm at that age now where your 8 year old came along but with a repeated singular outcome, the emotional trauma outweighs the joy.
Sorry, I don't normally talk about this, I'm a firm believer of a man keeps his troubles to himself, is the steadfast cornerstone of the family and just deals with it, I've not mentioned this outside of my other half. This has been somewhat cathartic. Thank you.
KerCam01@reddit
My husband doesn't talk about it either. It's a very hard thing to talk about especially for men I think. I'm glad we had this chat. Cathartic.
entombed_pit@reddit
You hear people complain because it's hard. But suffering being hard doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. In fact, for most of my life there hardest things have been the most worthwhile.
I have three little ones, no support network nearby and it's crazy hard. But it's the greatest thing I've ever done. It's completely changed my existence. My life is harder on paper but that's the thing about having kids that didn't matter I'm the slightest for what it gives you.
I had an awesome and very free life before kids too so it was as huge change, I travelled the world for eight years, had a job that took me all over, a lot of free time for hobbies etc. But these little dudes are the business.
Far_Ad_8688@reddit
so glad I dont have any...seeing my friends have kids and their lives turned into survival mode made me glad I dont have any
rdxc1a2t@reddit
Today has been hell. We've just come back from a week away which meant a four hours of travel today. I'm also horrendously ill and though the drive home was fine, my boy was a terror when we got home. To be honest, I take a lot of responsibility for the issues, as trying to unpack and make sure he was fed and washed before bed whilst being ill meant I wasn't always keeping an eye on him as much as I should. Still, he ran his teddy under a tap, mixed the cat food with the cat's water, started playing with a toilet brush, did a poo as he was being lifted into the bath. It all went wrong and I was ill but I've learned to roll with these things and internally laugh it off.
Thankfully after his bath he went to bed okay and then I continued unpacking; something I wouldn't have prioritised with such an illness when I didn't have kids. Previously it just would have waited. I do as much unpacking and tidying as I'm able to do without access to his room and sit down to watch some TV. Within a minute my boy is awake again and crying. Feeling like death warmed up I go back into his room, give him a cuddle, soothe him to sleep. I look at his gorgeous little face and think "yeah, this is great".
ClothesAgile3046@reddit
I don't have kids, nor plan too, but I've heard it described as this:
"It's like your life is on easy mode before you have kids, and every kid is just upping that difficulty a notch. But I like hard games, it's a challenge but so rewarding."
Necessary_Doubt_9762@reddit
I don’t regret it for a single second. Having my daughter is the best thing I’ve ever done. Doesn’t mean there aren’t some days where I just can’t be bothered and all I want to do is lay on my phone and not have to think because I’m shattered. However, I do get up and parent every day, no matter how I feel and I wouldn’t change it for the world. My daughter is like my own personal sunshine.
jonowain@reddit
Me 27 and my partner 23 have no plans of having kids. We do our 8 hours at work and come home to relax in the quiet. No screaming, no arguing, no football practice or dance classes to occupy our evenings. With no kids things like the cost of living crisis, fuel/energy prices rising is irrelevant and everything is so relaxing. We visited her sister with a toddler the screaming, the crying, the 24/7 watching of what they're doing makes life insufferable and that was only for 2 days. In short, we have no regrets about our lack of children and everytime we visit somebody with children we leave reminded exactly why it was a great idea not to add any to our family 🙂.
sim-pit@reddit
The kids themselves, no.
The person I had them with, biggest mistake of my life.
AdEmbarrassed3066@reddit
No. I don't regret it for one moment.
Some of my hopes and dreams had to take a back seat when the unplanned happened, but I got new hopes and dreams that were more realistic... and more fulfilling.
ThrowRapointless@reddit
I’ll moan about them every day and rightfully so because they’re all shitbags, the middle one is currently doing her usual of “playing” with the youngest until he loses it. But no, not at all
chubby-ninja123@reddit
No, i love my kids and by and large, fairly decent kids. Fairly easy to entertain and look after.
What I don’t like is the martyr attitude that creeps in after you have them.
Besides that, could knock about with my kids all day.
trowaway998997@reddit
No. I have a kid and it's great. We are, for the most part, evolutionary wired to love and protect our children.
We're currently experience a population decline which an aging population issue. We need more children more than ever. Everyone should be having children who can and is willing.
MacDonaldKe@reddit
We don't have them. Absolutely no regrets. Life is good, lots of free time, lots of travel. Can sleep as late as I want on my days off. sounds selfish but we recognised that before a child was on the scene and we took steps to make sure we didn't have any.
OrangeBanana300@reddit
Was chatting to a mum of 3 in the park. "I'd rather be at work" was her view on parenting. A while later she had a 4th. Works in the city and palms the kids off on after-school and holiday clubs as much as possible.
Another woman I know complained bitterly for years about her kid's deadbeat dad. But they still had 2 more kids together before splitting.
I know things can change over time, but I just don't get bringing child after child into a situation that's far less than optimal.
woman-reading@reddit
Now I am thrilled I never had kids ! So many kids have issues now with older parents which is what we would have been ..
We Travel! Have money .. have free time …
Seems having kids is taking them to sports for 15 years …
rdazza@reddit
I do not and hopefully will never regret having my son. Yes some days are definitely tough and I feel like I don’t have the energy to parent but I’ve never felt that I regret him. I’d hate for him to feel like I regretted him.
cococats@reddit
No, not at all. I do often miss childless life though, I can love having kids and also miss not having the responsibilities. And of course they wind me up sometimes and I miss the privacy of pre-kids. And I miss the sex life we had before kids, etc etc.
The thing is I can voice the grievances and annoyances with far less judgement than sitting waxing lyrical about the way my heart feels full every time I see them play together or they get so excited about something they're literally bouncing, or when they're sad and I can fix it just by being their safe person. I honestly have laughed and smiled more in the years since having kids than at any other part of my adult life.
Those positives massively outweigh the negatives but it's just not culturally accepted to talk about that so instead I either avoid talking about them too much at all or talk about the tough bits (and there are lots of them!) because I'm allowed to do that.
Limp-Coconut3740@reddit
I don’t regret having my kids at all and if I could go back and do things differently I wouldn’t
But this is REALLY hard and we often don’t have the support networks (other mums etc) in the same way mums often did in the past. I feel totally alone with my kids, I get very little family support, it’s not easy at all
Alert_Bid1531@reddit
I never regret my daughter but I do regret where I had her. I live in a different country to my family so if I could redo it all again I would be back home. It’s been hard and very isolated parenting on my own and not having any support even my daughter school I’ve made no friends as everyone has there own groups of friends and I’m not a very approachable person (I think) hahah but i am Glad I only had one child thought I think if I had another it would have been a lot harder and I think I’d struggle.
Chrizl1990@reddit
Tbh, kind of felt the same way stating out.
Being autistic definitely made it harder for me, but now I'd say the positives far outways the negatives.
Having supportive fiends and family definitely makes things easier and allows time to be yourself again.
Environmental_Run973@reddit
Nope don’t regret having my son for nana second ever but I really wanted to be a mum each to there own
adydurn@reddit
Not even slightly.
There are a few factors at play here that are important to point out, though.
First, humans like therapy. Sitting with people who are friends, loved ones, etc. and getting 'shit off our chest' is a really important part of being human. It's not just easy, but extremely healthy to talk about the bad stuff.
Second, it's entirely possible as humans to only remember the red lights, our little ones can be angels the whole day but it's them not eating their vegetables or throwing a tantrum in the supermarket that we use to measure the day.
Third, it's actually far more socially acceptable to talk about the times your kid was a brat than when they weren't, no one wants to hear about Timmy doing everything perfectly any more than we like hearing about how perfect your wife/husband is or how reliable your car was on your 2000 mile trip at the weekend. We like to hear how your old man leaves the seat up, how your car blew the radiator cap going 65mph, and we like to hear that little Timmy is an arse at school.
I love my little girl and seeing her is the highlight of my day, I have ADHD and ASD, and it looks like so does she, so we have a lot of black moments, but we also have a lot of good moments. And I wouldn't cut the latter to just not have the former.
Not everyone is like this, some do regret it and an ex-friend of mine pops up as an example. His friends were all weekend dads and he thought it sounded great, a little boy he could trot out to car shows snd football matches, but he had a girl, and his missus wanted him involved in her life as much as possible.
PikaSmasha@reddit
As a kid (Younger of 2) I feel like my parents have at some point, but right now no.
jummett@reddit
r/HappyParents 😊
worldworn@reddit
No, people listen to those that have the most negative to say about kids, they tend to be the loudest.
Love my kids, they have been such a huge positive impact on my life and me.
For every heartache you have, there are a dozen proud moments, glimpses of joy, times where you can see a little bit of yourself.
Some people have more on their plate with their kids than others, some people just don't end up being very good parents. So there will be people who have it worse, but most I think don't complain.
Honeyrose88x@reddit
It’s easier when they’re younger, I could manage a room full of toddlers, but teenagers? It requires a whole load of strength you do not realise till you’re there. They trigger you constantly, you have to manage your emotions and theirs & create safe spaces for them whilst dealing with your own issues. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and it’s not at all easy. There’s times I love every second like earlier today playing a game with the 3 of them and they’re laughing and smiling, and there’s times I genuinely wonder how I ever thought I’d be capable of this gigantic responsibility, x3.
Hayesey88@reddit
I don't regret my daughter at all. I only ever wanted 1 and always wanted a girl and that's what I got. The only negative thing I have said is I've found parenting a very young child incredibly boring... I haven't found it difficult / financially ruining as most people will tell you however it is very monotonous/ repetitive.
FatJellyCo@reddit
Bad parents regret their children .
Inkyyy98@reddit
Nope! I’ve a 19 month old and whilst he is a pain in the arse a lot of the time, it’s amazing seeing him grow. He can count to ten, even understands the concept of counting. He’s got a cute laugh and he walks around having ‘conversations’ on his toy phone.
It’s such a great thing to witness. And on top of that he has helped me. I wake up early and have a routine. I don’t drink as much as I used to. I’m trying to make healthier life choices for him.
Postik123@reddit
Never for one moment. I was one of these people that didn't really want kids, but it happened and it's the best thing that happened to me. I think as a person is changes your perception about what can you get from life, and instead becomes about what you can give from life.
Forsaken-Boss3670@reddit
I don't regret my son, absolutely adore him. But he's autistic and it's tough - the sleep deprivation and meltdowns in particular, and the worries about his future given his high anxiety and school refusal. And we've largely been abandoned by services and left to deal with the problems.
ChairsMissing154@reddit
I had one son and he turned out alright. I have two grandsons, so far it’s been good. I don’t think a person should feel any guilt if they do not want children but I wouldn’t understand “regret” over having a kid. In the end you do your bit as a parent and once they’re adults it’s their life.
CraigNotCreg@reddit
I'm 40 and I'm worried that in a few years I might regret not having them. I spoke to a buddy who has three young kids, and he just said, "Kids are overrated."
lilabear90@reddit
I'd never regret having my son, but what I probably regret is having him sooner than i was ready to. I wasn't independently financially stable, and my ex screwed me over leaving me to struggle as a single parent. He does have him every other weekend, but I do majority parenting and pay for most of his needs. Other than that, besides a few hiccups and tantrums, I could never regret having my kiddo.
UbiquitousFlounder@reddit
I wouldn't say I regret it, but I don't agree with people who say "they bring so much joy" etc. In my experience they brought worry and anxiety. I found the whole experience to be emotionally exhausting.
ThrowRAdramallama@reddit
Please don't think I don't adore my kids. They are my world.
But if I had a crystal ball at the age of 18 and knew what the future held.... I wouldn't choose this life.
I love my life but I'm exhausted and poor and there is always another bill or drama. I just wanna sit in the sunshine and read a book and listen to the birds.
Glowing_up@reddit
I don't regret her. No one goes into parenthood expecting a difficult child, though. It's sort of an unspoken thing that all those nasty things and fussy screaming baby's are other peoples children, my child won't be like that.
Which is great when you don't end up with a shitty screaming mess of a first year. But sucks to suck when you do. I don't regret my baby, but I'm very tired and depressed. I get pretty much 0 downtime other than to mindlessly scroll on my phone, which isn't really downtime for me personally, as it isn't something I choose to do for enrichment/enjoyment.
So I'm burnt out 24/7. I bought a book maybe 3 months ago and I don't even know where it is anymore. Never mind had chance to read the bastard.
Got into it on here a few days ago elsewhere csuse I legitimately shower once a week. Like yes it's not healthy what do you want me to do? It is what it is? I can't change it lol. If we had a bath or a normal shower yes I'd just bring her in and let her cry I'm not a martyr. But we have a wet room so again sucks to suck. She's also a nightmare in anything she's held in, bouncer pram etc she twists and contorts and ends up hurting herself if left alone at all so she really can't be left in another room for the length of a shower.
I buy her clothes for 12m already trying to wish the time away as when she's a little more independent it'll be easier. It's not very rewarding atm, made her pancakes today feeling my nara Smith oats and she just puked immediately. Oh yea she hates solids at 8 month despite everyone telling me to soldier through the first 6 cause "reflux baby's improve after solids". Yeah yeah eat my turds assholes.
So yeah if you saw me in the street you'd probably think "christ she looks rough" and I'd tell you freely I bloody well feel it, but big picture I chose this for a reason and I stand by my choice. All things are temporary and there's better ahead.
UnderwhelmingZebra@reddit
I love my wee girl. I don't regret having her and in fact I can't remember how I filled my time before she came along.
She's genuinely the best thing that's ever happened to me and the best thing I'll ever do in this life
DerpDerpDerp78910@reddit
No regrets.
Stargazer86F@reddit
No.
My son is my world.
The sun doesn’t shine out his bum though, so I feel entitled to moan if he has been a twit.
Purple_head_monster@reddit
Not in the slightest! They're my wife and my world. Genuinely, they make us proud every day. We do push them reasonably hard, but they all achieve. My eldest is in uni and winning design awards and was a finalist for a BAFTA. Her peer reviews from her coursemates are all top scores! My middle child is nearing the end of his apprenticeship. The company he’s working for values him highly and has given him three pay raises since being there, a £250 bonus, and he was awarded Apprentice of the Month and is up for Apprentice of the Quarter. My youngest is in the middle of her GCSEs and doing well. She has been accepted to the college course she wants to attend and has reached out to a very good company to work at for experience on the days she’s not at college. They have given her a date for an interview. She also works a Saturday job and has been given a pay rise up to the adult minimum as "she works harder than the adults do." Did I mention how proud we are of them? lol
They have learnt hard work from my wife and me. I used to work 100+ hours, night and day, weekends, etc., and we bought our house and a buy-to-let flat at a very young age. My wife always worked, even while raising kids. We're very close as a family. We haven't been without some major issues, but we get through them together.
We have a big problem in society with parenting. You're supposed to raise kids, not leave them to it or let them learn life from TikTok. When kids do wrong, you tell them and reprimand them with consequences. Too many parents take the view of "no, no, not my little angel," and they get away with murder. So they grow up being entitled little s**ts that think the world should bend to their every whim.
two2bumble@reddit
Being a parent has been the best thing that has ever happened in my life.
General_Argument5616@reddit
Not in the slightest, I love my kids to death, but it’s been flipping hard work. They’re 17 and 14 now and it’s sort of easier, but also just sort of different. I try not to moan too much, but I probably fail at that. Parenting is a slog, but we do it because we love them and it’s a long game. There’s plenty of awe and wonder and joy, just also quite a bit of hard graft.
Chosen-63@reddit
I wish I had had more, no regrets at all.
Comfortable_Bag_9504@reddit
Of course people complain about parenting, you're in Britain!! Complaining is our favourite thing to do!! If people disliked their children that much they wouldn't go on to have more than one. Sure, it's tough at times but the positives always outweigh the negatives! Plus they're young needy children for about 5 years, then they're semi needy for another 5 and if you've done a good enough job they're pretty self sufficient after that!! I don't know why people think it's such a life sentence, sure you're there for them forever but the point of being a parent is to ensure these little humans grow into independent big humans, that's it!
NoYard5431@reddit
No, but that's not to say it is not really really difficult. I am considering having a third child and I am thinking it can't be harder than it is at the moment with two....
Opposite_Banana_2543@reddit
Children are so great, I simply don't have the words to explain why.
rainbow_sparkles776@reddit
No! It's tough sometimes but I love being a parent
AncientNortherner@reddit
Not for a single second have I ever regretted having kids. I had kids older than a lot of folks (mid to late 30s) and they are the highlight of my life and its only true value.
That will not be the same for everyone. About half the people I know that chose to be childfree deeply regret it in our 50s, the other half love it.
xParesh@reddit
I'm single and live in London. I had a dog that was super needy. We had 4 amazing years together. She's staying with my parents in the countryside right now and for the first time in a long time my schedule is totally free. I can only imagine having a child would be much more costlier and tie you down more than just being able ask mum and dad in the countryside with all their land to take care of our family girl.
Ashen-One1@reddit
I'm a parent and been surrounded by other parents for quite some time. My key take away is that we live in such a selfish world and society now and is something a lot people have become and are used to. Being a parent requires you to make a lot of sacrifices and be selfless at times. This is why you see a lot of regret nowadays and are unable to see or experience the joys of parenthood.
furrycroissant@reddit
Definitely have moments where I wish I could go back to my old life, but then others where I have quite a nice day and it's all ok again
itsshakespeare@reddit
I love my kids and they enrich my life. Most of the people I know had children in their thirties, so they had a bit of savings, a place to live and the children were planned. I think that helps a lot. I don’t go on about it because you never know what other people have got going on in their lives -I know a lot of people who have had miscarriages and a couple of still births
joshgeake@reddit
Not one bit and I have three, the first having arrived as a surprise.
BeccasBump@reddit
I have never for a single moment regretted having my children - they are the absolute joy of my life. I just completely love being a mum and watching their little personalities develop, and if it had been in the cards for me, I would have had more - possibly lots more!
But... honestly I always feel a bit shit for saying so, because so many parents seem to be having a relentlessly grim time of it. I'm not talking about people whose children have severe and complex disabilities, because that really is a different ballgame, but parents of healthy, neurotypical kids, too, just seem to hate it.
Occasionally in parenting groups people will say things like "anyone who says they love the newborn stage is lying" or "every parent has had moments when they hate their children", and then everyone agrees with them, and I'm left feeling bewildered and sad, because that hasn't been my experience of parenting at all.
(For the record, I wouldn't say I'm doing it on easy mode - my 5yo is being assessed for ADHD and has severe separation anxiety, and I will eat my hat if my 3yo isn't autistic (his dad is), plus they both think sleep is for the weak. Which I'm not complaining about, I'm just pre-empting the person who will inevitably jump in and say my children must be unicorns, etc.)
Wellidrivea190e@reddit
I became a dad last year at 36 and it’s been physically and mentally draining, largely because I am not a young man. Wouldn’t trade it for anything and I certainly don’t regret it. But bugger me am I tired. Love my daughter more than I can put into words.
TheArtfullTodger@reddit
Well children can be little shits. Even more so if they've got learning disabilities. So yeah I can certainly understand as a parent when other parents have expressed that level of exhasperation. It's not easy and was never going to be even under the best circumstances. Regret though? No certainly not. I could happily kick them out the door tomorrow if I really had enough and my genes would still be in the world somewhere lol. So iv done my bit for preservation of my bloodline. They can fuck off anytime they've pushed me roo far with no regrets about ever bringing them into this world.
ProfessionalKnown930@reddit
No I don’t regret having my son. However, the little bastard tests every last nerve my wife and I have 🤣
Mdl8922@reddit
No.
I love having kids, I've got 5. Not once have I ever not felt like parenting, quite the opposite. Can't stand the annual celebration of "I survived the 6 week summer holiday" if you have to 'survive' it, doesn't that reflect badly on the child you raised?
I dunno, my kids are fucking awesome, maybe I'm just lucky.
JeniJ1@reddit
I love my child. I will never regret having him.
I love BEING A PARENT.
I sometimes hate PARENTING.
A subtle but important difference.
TheGreatBatsby@reddit
Moaning about your kids =/= regret having kids
We have a 3 year old who I love more than anything. She can be frustrating, tiring, exhausting and rude as anything, but she's the absolute best thing in my entire life and I'd never do anything differently if I could go back.
Do I miss being able to randomly pop to the pub or go out for dinner? Yeah of course. But nowhere near enough to ever regret having her.
No_Bear_3201@reddit
Not at all. I found a good partner and grew a respectful relationship. We built a foundation across a decade, had an approximate plan, we knew life is unpredictable. we had our children, I had a career break and never missed a moment. incredible memories and lots of hard times. but who doesn't have hard times? Our relationship is still wonderful but also nothing like it used to be . we grew together and always with respect and love.
Now we are at teen years, I'm back at work starting a second career. My kids are obviously the world to me, but I haven't lost my identity, my relationship or anything negative from them. They are great kids, who they are, not expectations of myself & their dad.
Albeit it was a lot of work. If I hadn't put the work into my family, it would have a been into a job. But I prefer it this way.
No regrets at all!
limedifficult@reddit
Nope. Never for even a second. I’ve only got one, and he has some additional needs, but goddamn do I love that kid. He has irresistible joy about him all the time. We have such a fantastic life together. I am almost giddy about the approaching summer break and all the fun adventures we will have.
Terrible_Ad_870@reddit
I don’t regret having mine, but regret but having my life more in order before I had him
widdrjb@reddit
Mine's 28 now. Lovely woman through and through, took a bit of work to get her that way. Her little boy is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and our son-in-law is a man I'm proud to know.
RL80CWL@reddit
We (m 43 f 42) had a child when I was 17 and partner 16. Not ideal. We now have three. Youngest nearly 16. Even now I can’t imagine myself ever saying “let’s have kids” like it’s a good idea. It’s hard work. It’s not fun. It’s massively rewarding but nobody likes the night feeds, the shit upto their neck, the car seats, the stair gates…I’m glad we had ours like we did. We both work good jobs, and have a good life. I sometimes think of the way our life would’ve been if we didn’t have our first when we did and I can’t imagine ever wanting to give that up for a child so I’m glad we had ours as young as we did. No regrets. Mid 40’s. Relatively comfortable with 3 great almost all grown up kids.
nibnangnos@reddit
As someone who happily does not have kids, I believe people with kids can’t bring themselves to say they regret it. Maybe it’s a hormonal thing? But for all intents and purposes… truthfully some of them do?
Internal_Bit_4617@reddit
I don't have children and never regretted this. I have friends with children that love it. I also have friends who didn't take too well to being a parent, even though they wanted children. Turned out (sooner or later) they had post patrum depression. Please don't judge people. Everyone is different.
elniallo11@reddit
I don’t regret not having kids. I live my life by the Homer Simpson mantra 0 kids and 2 money. My wife and I talked about it very early and decided it was not for us.
Adept_Race4797@reddit
i have a 9 month old old he saved my life i could never regret having him he gives me a reason to live
Kijamon@reddit
My son is the happiest wee guy, at nearly 18 months you can see his personality forming and coming through. He is funny, he's smiley and just has a great time.
But he wakes up 3 times a night and has done for most of his life. It is relentless. We are exhausted and sometimes we'll be sat griping about how we can't do it and all that because we just have nothing in the tank.
But I absolutely do not regret it. He's the best. I can't wait to see who he grows up to be.
Chance_Baby5893@reddit
We have a 20 month old and can’t imagine life without him now. Literally can’t remember my life before.
nfoote@reddit
"My two favourite things in the whole world are; being with my children and not being with my children."
Lunalou26@reddit
I don’t regret not having kids yet, what I do regret is having irritating as fuck friends that keep telling me to “wait until I have kids” when I say things like “I’m tired”.
Previous-Ad7618@reddit
Sometimes I think I do, then I think hard like "what is it I'm actually missing?".
I still have the freedom to see friends, to excersise, to relax.
Usually it's something like "man I wish I could spend 6 hours on the playstation". Then when I look back on the great times I've had with kids and think "would I look back fondly if that was just gaming and drinking?".
I think I wouldn't. So, no, I'm happy. I'm just tired.
GirlMcGirlface@reddit
I don't regret having a child, but I do regret who I had a child with, we're both now dealing with a bit of trauma because of this. I also struggle with a crazy amount of guilt because I feel it's my fault. Counting the days where I won't have to deal with him anymore, whilst simultaneously trying not to wish my child's childhood away. I also became very ill, and had to stop working so I feel like my kid has been dealt a really shitty hand. The love and bond we have with each other though is other worldly and I'm genuinely blessed to have this experience and to have her in my life. No one ever tells you just how painful and difficult parenting is, and I mean actually parenting your kid, and raising them. The worry, the fear, it's constant. Also how triggering it can be for you if you didn't have the best upbringing yourself.
fishercrow@reddit
anecdotally, the people i know/knew who are happiest with having children are the ones with the most help. even having a child with severe behavioural or medical needs is better when you have loving grandparents nearby and people who can give you a hand. conversely, even the easiest child will be tough if it’s just one or two people involved with care. my partner and i are planning on having a child together in the nearish future, but his parents are literally around the corner and have already promised to be very involved. if we didn’t have them i don’t think we would plan on children.
the other component is wanting children for unselfish reasons. we want children because we want to help another human being thrive and be great. we have some inheritable issues but we know how to look out for and handle them. if you want a child to fix a relationship or because that’s the ‘next step’ in your life journey, your odds of regretting them is much higher.
just my take on having kids as someone who has seen how they are raised and has worked with them.
musings871@reddit
So true.
Intentionality is really important even though you can't factor in everything that will happen in life you need to be at peace with the fact that things will change significantly.
Additionally having a partner who is in 50/50 with you lightens the load (even with co parenting) also having family support also helps significantly! Weekend at the grandparents or the option to call in family for a work emergency or (for those who are partnered) a date night' gives parents a bit of breathing space that is crucial to help refill your cup and feel a little less stressed and overwhelmed.
Neither-Bison4936@reddit
Hell no.
mmmmgummyvenus@reddit
I love my son but I don't think my wife and I are good co-parents. He has additional needs and it is driving us to breaking point.
Moogle-Mail@reddit
Didn't have them - zero regrets.
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
Same. Fuck that. Can’t understand how anyone could have a kid in 2024 with war, inflation, climate change and pandemics. So selfish.
greendragon00x2@reddit
Same. And that ship has sailed now. I'm fine with it.
andreeeeeaaaaaaaaa@reddit
Same here. Life is pretty damn good.
terrible-titanium@reddit
I don't regret it now my son is grown up. I didn't regret it when he was little. I DID regret it massively for a period of time when he was a teenager from hell. And I mean real hellish off the rails drugs and school exclusions and abusive type teen from hell.
Parenting is hard, and there are bound to be times when it seems relentless. When you ask yourself, "Why bother?"
But once they leave home and start a life for themselves, it's all good. Glad I did it overall. Despite the walk through hell.
palmerama@reddit
I really miss the flexibility I used to have, particularly on these warm summer evenings. To be able to go somewhere for a nice drink but can’t cos need to feed and put baby down. We don’t have much family help local. And being able to travel quite as freely. But of course we’ve had plenty of magical moments and gives your life a meaning it didn’t once have. These difficult times and an investment for future enjoyment as well when they’re grown with kids of their own. So at times there is some regret but you can’t imagine life without them once they’re here.
InYourAlaska@reddit
I’m in the same boat. I miss if I wanted to go somewhere, I just put my shoes on and went. I didn’t need to pack a bag, get someone else ready, wait for the right time so we don’t miss a feed or a nap, wrestle with a pushchair etc
But I still wouldn’t take back my son. He’s away with his papa seeing family and this is the first time since he’s been born that I’ve been away from him longer than a few hours. I miss him. I miss his smile in the mornings when he wakes up. I miss his giggles as he plays on his play mat. I miss our cuddles as I put him to sleep. I miss seeing the way his face lights up when he realises he’s about to have a bath.
He’s only six months. Yet I truly can’t imagine my life without him now, and experiencing it makes me sad. No amount of being able to do what I want, when I want to, replaces the honour of watching this little boy grow and flourish.
Even-Funny-265@reddit
Yup, at least I regret having as many or when I had them. I've got 8, one set of twins, one has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, and another possibly on the spectrum. It's mental. Stressful. I often think what sort of world they're gonna grow up into.
If I could do it all again, I wouldn't have as many. I do love them all, I just feel like they miss out, and I'm not a very good parent due to how many I have.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
Eight? You must be a millionaire or something
Even-Funny-265@reddit
🤣🤣🤣 barely scraping by each month.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
Did you intend on 8? Sorry if this is rude, I am very interested
Even-Funny-265@reddit
No, we had 4, then decided on another one and got the twins. Then I had a vasectomy, which failed, and we had 2 more less than a year apart, then another vasectomy and no more.
Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit
Super sperm
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
You guys have got to be the horniest fuckers in existence
nadthegoat@reddit
I think for us it’s more a ‘the grass is always greener’ situation. Would love to be care free again and just do what we like, but when we do get that chance and go away together all we do is talk about the kids and miss them 😂. I think the reality of being care free would be quite boring after a bit.
blind_disparity@reddit
Mine are still young, 6 and 4, but so far I don't regret it! Yes they're a lot of hard work and I've lost a lot of my own time, but they're also the most loving, affectionate people and also just genuinely hilarious... Both laughing with and laughing at.
I think a lot of people go into parenting without a true understanding of how much effort and time it is going to take. I was well aware so I guess better mentally prepared and OK with the decision. Of course knowing beforehand is different to living the reality, and there's always surprises, but I've also been surprised by just how amazing they are. Although I expected that too, it's also exceeded my expectations.
frusciantefango@reddit
I don't regret not having kids. I had a hysterectomy last summer and wondered if I would feel sad about it - I never wanted kids and have never doubted it but perhaps that finality would be somehow different. But no, didn't feel anything about it other than relieved to be rid of fibroids and periods. I think I would have struggled a lot with parenting, it seems incredibly hard. I really respect those who do it well.
TipsyMagpie@reddit
My husband and I don’t have children. I was pretty ambivalent but imagined I’d have some just because that’s the status quo - then we had a car accident when I was 23 which meant if I had them, it’d be a lot of work and then there’s no guarantee that I’d be in a good place after carrying them to look after them. I didn’t want them badly enough to go through that. That was 16 years ago and I’m thrilled, honestly, that the decision was taken out of our hands. We have four nieces and nephews who we love spoiling, but when we get home in the evening we can do what we want - late night drinking while singing along to YouTube? Yes. Going to bed at 8pm? Yes? Spontaneous night out? Yes. We have four kitties who we spoil like crazy, and who give us lots of love, but who we can pay someone £40 to feed at night/in the morning and that’s it. It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned.
CheleySunshine@reddit
When my children were little there was many times that I could understand why some animals ate their young 🥰🤣 but seriously, it’s a privilege not given to all. I don’t know of any parents who have the best time every single day with their children and they’re so good and well behaved. It doesn’t happen ever! But I would stress to everyone to try your best to enjoy each day with the little darlings lol because time flies and before you know it they’re making lives of their own, married with children (at least mine are). Keep making good memories for them and be the best kind of adult that you possibly can!
AgainstTheMobs@reddit
/r/regretfulparents /r/antinatalism
Recent_Put_7321@reddit
I don’t regret having my children. Their dad cheated and walked out when they were younger and barely had anything to do with them so I’ve raised them alone. Sometimes where really hard and I would complain to my mum who listened and let me vent because she understood what it’s like to raise children. But during raising them the best memories outweigh the hard times a billion times over. There are times when you teach your child to talk.m.walk.spell and feed themselves etc that just flood you with the most amazing feeling. Trust me though when you hear a parent vent or rant about their children don’t take it to mean anything bad it’s perhaps their little angel decided to be a little devil that day and probably drew on the walls and mum cleaned it up then they got all their toys out or threw a tantrum because their favourite pjs where in the wash etc.
Whulad@reddit
Without my 4 kids I’m pretty sure I’d be dead or have severe health problems due to excessive lifestyle which I had to give up for my kids. Don’t think I’d have stopped either. I was 40 when I had my first.
Nooms88@reddit
I have 1, he's changed my life and I absolutely do not regret having him. He's the best thing in my life and I have led a pretty excellent existence, I've been to pushing 100 countries, lived abroad, I want for nothing, but this little man...he trumps it all
ArstotzkaHero@reddit
Glad I didn't have any, I would be a bad father. Also nobody with kids seems happy now, the stresses and worries plus modern life.
IamKingCraig@reddit
Not at all.
barrbubblegum@reddit
Kids are great, when it's good it's good and when it's bad it's bad. I don't regret having them, but your free time to yourself is non-existent. You finish work and come home to more work (feeding them, playing with them, bathing them, and then when they sleep, it's clean-up time). But the good times and their personalities are amazing to watch develop.
Darksnowfaerie@reddit
I will never regret having my kids, they are my life. But I don’t think there’s any shame in admitting some days are really rough, and it’s survival more than good days (I have an ASD child & a baby). And some days I really can’t be bothered parenting! But their smiles and hugs make up for it most of the time.
Wipedout89@reddit
No way. I have a five month old and he's the most wonderful, gorgeous little boy and I miss him if I'm away from him for just a few hours. He can be fussy, he can have terrible nights where he won't sleep, but I wouldn't change him for the world. My life feels right now
Neither-Drive-8838@reddit
Yes. One is an alcoholic with a mental health diagnosis, and was homeless after attacking his brother. He's destructive and paranoid, currently under a restraining order. The older one is mid 40s living at home and working but spends all his money on booze, weed and baccy. If we'd never had kids we'd be comfortably off in retirement and living a stress-free life.
Low_Possibility_3941@reddit
It's hard work but the most rewarding things in life usually are
Nothing can compare to the love you feel for your child. It gives life a whole new meaning. I love her more than anything 💛
modijk@reddit
No. No. No. (Yes, my life would be much easier without)
CrimpsShootsandRuns@reddit
I don't regret it for a second, they're the most important thing in my life. That being said, it is fucking hard and some days of love to just not have a constant stream of requests and demands thrown at me from all directions.
Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit
I do not regret having my 2 kids but it hasn't been easy. I am a single parent and my youngest has autism, even though she is high functioning it's like having a very intelligent 8 year old toddler who has vestibular dysfunction so she can never keep still. Some days I am overwhelmed and exhausted but I love them both so so much and will do anything for them.
gt4bro@reddit
Not at all, my toddler is the best little buddy to have and she brings me so much joy and love. I can’t wait for the adventures that we’ll have over the next few years.
Having said that, I’m firmly ‘one and done’. I think I’m at full capacity right now, in terms of what I can easily manage without becoming stressed and unhappy. Like, generally week to week everything is pretty easy and enjoyable. But I know that adding a baby into the mix right now would vastly reduce the fun that we’re getting into now she’s getting older, and double the stress.
I was an only child, so one child families are the norm for me, and personally they seem a whole lot less stressful and more enjoyable (and affordable!)
DarkMatta93@reddit
I've got a 21 month old and 7 week old. No regrets so far.
Nixher@reddit
There is no greater joy, biologically speaking it's life's only purpose. I see successfully raising good children as life's endgame. It's a fucking hard task, and some days you question your sanity, but when you work hard to give your child a nice day and they have a good time and appreciate it, that is the purest joy life can gift you.
H0B0FASSI0N@reddit
My kids are awesome in very different ways but it has made life harder and lots of times I just wish I could sleep. With my health decline it's so much worse, I like to explore nothing big but multi day hikes and my family just isn't into it also trying to find a job to work around child care and I can do in a chair has been impossible I've been out of work for 12 years and its a major factor in my depression but the moments when they do something super cute or absolutely insane all of that goes away in an instance. I wouldn't change it but if I could go back in time I would have saved better than pissing it up a wall so I could give my kids more.
SwollenEasterEgg@reddit
6 month old daughter. Best thing I ever did.
Siilvverr@reddit
No way. They make my whole life complete. People complain about their jobs but I guarantee you they're glad to have them. Kids are exhausting and tiring, but worth it in every way. We still like to moan though. Shit's not easy
Happy_Boy_29@reddit
Since I turned out to be neither gifted nor a gazillionaire I am glad I did not have kids, couldn't imagine having kids that were destined to be anything other than first in this crazy thing called the human race.
Brave_Pain1994@reddit
I don't have children and personally never want them. Part of this is most likely down to my own childhood.
I have friends that have kids and all if them seem to spend a lot of time moaning about them or how it limits what they can do because of the time and financial situation.
One of my old housemates had her young daughter with her before they got there own place and she latched on me to me like a fly on shit. As much as it was cool at times it was even cooler when she was doing my head in and I could just send her back to her mum.
Fair enough to anyone that wants kids there is no right or wrong, but I personally enjoy my freedom and spare time being able to do whatever I fancy when I want.
BBW_lover_Jam@reddit
Not one single bit. But I will say I am lucky my son is only 3 and is polite goes to bed by himself and is very laid back yet bossy.
I love every single second of it although it cane be tiring
LadyWithABookOrTwo@reddit
Not at all and I say this as a very introverted and highly sensitive person whose husband turned abusive after birth and who has almost no help or support in the UK and who loves privacy and independent hobbies like reading and journalling.
Pan-tang@reddit
I love not having kids. We have a great time. I enjoy everyone else's kids and every kid is mine in a sense. Every kid creates 250,000 kg of carbon over a lifetime. We are over populated as it is. All my friends and acquaintances turn into 'carers' when they reproduce and stop being the person I knew. It is an illusion that they are 'your' kids, we all share thousands of the same ancestors. I get that family can be fantastic and loving, I have seen a lot of the other kind too. I just added my humble opinion because the expected 'I am a wonderful parent and I love my kids' jumped in so quickly.
imminentmailing463@reddit
That's some...interesting logic.
Pan-tang@reddit
It's an interesting mathematical exercise. You have 2 parents , they had 2 parents, that's 4 grandparents,who each had 4 grandparents and on back in time. It's hundreds of thousands of ancestors, we are all interelated, Especially as the population ( the gene pool) was much smaller in the past.
robb0216@reddit
It could well be a language barrier, but I'm pretty sure you're confusing "kids" with "relatives", and even then you're reaching.
I don't think anyone is mind-blown with the obvious probability of sharing ancestors from ancient history, they just don't think that makes somebody your child.
imminentmailing463@reddit
None of which makes your kids not yours. It doesn't make much sense as a statement imo.
whosafeard@reddit
If you do the nasty in the pasty, you too can be your own grandparent
whosafeard@reddit
My cousin’s cousins kids aren’t “my” kids, they’re barely part of my family, so why should that be the case for someone even more distantly related?
This take is genuinely unhinged, and I say that as someone who never wants to have kids (before the upsetero parentero accusation rolls in)
BannedNeutrophil@reddit
So are you, so I hope you're doing something worthwhile with it.
tiddyb0obz@reddit
I regret having a kid, I don't regret my kid. She's 3.5, autistic and has been honestly a nightmare from the start. I miss my old life like crazy, it wasn't even that fun but I miss having free time and free will and taking a shit in peace tbh. I was 23 when I had her and I wanna go back and slap myself silly and tell myself to go get a hobby or something, I was so naive thinking I was ready!
EcstaticThundercloud@reddit
Not even remotely. Are some days soul destroyingly difficult? Absolutely. But watching my little dude learn, grow and figure out who he is, 100% knocks back the hard days. At the moment I'm loving hearing about all his friends at nursery and who he's been playing with. Then him reciting the names of dinosaurs that I quite frankly can't even pronounce half of. Getting cuddles, and some albeit disgustingly wet kisses off him as he's suddenly very into giving affection. Coming home from a rough day from work and him saying something funny that causes both of us to sit there belly laughing until it hurts. So no. Some days are definitely harder, but I wouldn't change any of it.
Bowdin@reddit
My son was diagnosed with Leukaemia at around 1 and a half.
To say it has been tough would be an understatement, but if it was this or nothing. I would choose this every time.
Gregorythomas2020@reddit
So far I don't regret not having any
GrainsofArcadia@reddit
Not in the least.
I have three kids (3, 6 and 7). It was hard when they were really little, but it has been an absolute pleasure watching them grow as people. It truly is an amazing experience.
Ill-Reaction1163@reddit
Every day gets better since my son was born 9 years ago!! I’ve never known a Love like I know now!! I will say, Moms have it harder than dads. For obvious physical reasons, but also emotionally and responsibly…. It’s just nature. I do ANYTHING I can to lighten her burden(including all household chores) , but there’s just stuff a kid only wants his/her mom for… again, nature…
omgaga21@reddit
No. Is it a constant challenge? Yes. Most of the time. It’s a lot of negotiation and sometimes i just want say “Because I said so” but I resist. I remember our life before our 3yr old but I also think “Gosh it was boring” even though we were constantly busy. We’re quite blessed though. We sailed through the terrible 2’s and although his tantrums can be intense, they are few and far between. I think people also need to remember ‘little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems’. We have nephews and nieces that are entering teenage years and it’s something I’m not really looking forward to!
We had kids quite late in life. Both 41 with a 3 year old and 1 on the way. It has its challenges but we’re both so much more patient than what we would’ve been in our 20’s and early 30’s. We’re also financially secure (for now!)
andreeeeeaaaaaaaaa@reddit
I don't have kids, I don't regret not having kids.
Gregs_green_parrot@reddit
Not for a second. Having a little baby is hard work but they soon grow up and they are my best friendsin the whole world. Off to stay with the youngest tomorrow who lives in Spain with his wife. The other lives in New Zealand for now so we spent most of last summer out there with him.
Grembo_Zavia@reddit
My son is 14 in a little over a month and I only have positive things to say about him.
He has idiopathic anaphylaxis and possible ASD/ADHD which do present difficulties but he's a joy to be around and so far (fingers crossed) hasn't stepped over anyone's boundaries.
He even slept through the night as a baby and I can't remember him crying when needy but nowadays his hyperactivity can get overwhelming because I have complex PTSD.
Not saying he's perfect but he's easy to parent.
zoomziezoo@reddit
It's definitely hard, there are times I wish I didn't have kids but on the whole, no I don't regret it. I do, however, regret having kids when I was still young (aged 22)
Captain_Kruch@reddit
This is one of the reasons I'm glad my now ex-gf and I broke up - she desperately wanted children and I don't. So, I knew one of us would have ended up resenting the other. That, and the fact that I a. Can't stand children, and b. Can barely look after myself, never mind another human being who (for at least thd first 16 years of their life) is basically helpless and virtually dependent on you for their survival.
Sudden_Mirror_1922@reddit
I love my kid so much, I can't say I regret her, but I do feel like I've lost my sense of who I am, I've lost my freedom, I've aged rapidly, permanently tired, lost my friends and I'm financially buggered, with no wriggle room for self-indulgence. If I could've somehow known this is what it would be like, I don't think there's anyway in hell I would've chosen it.
Pellellell@reddit
I think it’s super normal for parents to complain how hard it is being a parent. Doesn’t mean they regret it, but they are doing something incredibly difficult every day that it’s hard to understand as someone without kids. For most it’s their choice, but I think it’s important to give them space to vent about the difficulties they face.
MaleficentSwan0223@reddit
I regret not being able to have more children.
My 3 girls have brought more joy to my life than anything else ever has.
Rhinoceraptor37@reddit
I love my kid. Parenthood has made me a better man and I also know I need to be better still. I don't have a lot of patience and can snap quickly when I should take more time to explain.
That being said, as much as I love my kid, I know that parenthood is hard and some people don't deal with it as well as I have.
I suppose my partner having multiple miscarriages, after the emergency C-section that delivered my kid, has made me appreciate even the hardest days.
Parenting is tough, it brings out the best and worst of us. I don't accept the 'cool' quip of "I don't feel like parenting". Get over yourself, it's not about you, it's about your kid.
jowjow40@reddit
My son is 19, I had him at 17 but he was a total breeze until he started high school. Our life turned upside down from him being 14 onwards due to his bad behaviour which stems from his adhd. I’m convinced he’s the reason I turned grey so early!
He no longer lives with me but he’s not far away and I will do anything I can to be there for him and support (with my boundaries of course). He’s had struggled with addiction and mental health, but I was the one who brought him into this world. I’ve had days where I have regretted it yes, but deep down I wouldn’t change a thing and I love him dearly.
the_man_inTheShack@reddit
No regrets at all, not even when they were young. Went through 10 years of poverty (still buying a house, but could not afford a car) with 4 children until my wife went back to work. Yes it was hard, even exhausting. Now with children and grown up grandchildren life is rather wonderful.
budapest_budapest@reddit
I don’t regret it at all. It’s hard at times, but I never wish I was childless again. The first year of his life was a kind of hell but I never regretted having him, I just prayed it would get easier (and it did).
We’re in a very fortunate situation in every sense though and I can see how easily things could be different. It’s why we’re quitting while we’re ahead and not having a second.
Tigweg@reddit
I decided not to have children in my early 30s. That was about 30 years ago, and I've never for a moment regretted the decision. It gave me the freedom to have moved to different countries twice in the last 20 years
monistar97@reddit
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And then my son learnt to say mama and to walk, to sleep through the night and then we only had good times.
But wow sleep deprivation is nothing I could have everrrrr expected or prepared for, even so I would never regret it.
wales-bloke@reddit
Not as much as I initially did. As they get older (2 & 7 this year) there are very brief fun moments to punctuate the relentless slog.
But my partner & I have zero help. We might get one evening off a quarter if we're lucky.
I think it's the whining and the screams that get to me the most.
Perhaps having kids in my forties was a fucking moronic idea. I'd love just a few days of peace.
And then I read about parents who have kids with special needs, literally a 24/7 job with no prospect of anything getting any better, and I thank the universe that I rolled the dice twice & got two sixes.
charley_warlzz@reddit
Its worth noting that the reason she says she doesn’t feel like parenting nearly everyday is probably because she never gets to not parent for a day or two. All else aside, parenting is an exhausting 24/7 job and it can be hard for people to get a break.
SomeoneRandom007@reddit
I am very glad I had kids. I regret not being a better Dad.
justdont7133@reddit
I think parenting is relentless and hard, and there are times when I look at child free friends on their 3rd holiday of the year and think about it, but I can't say I've ever genuinely regretted having them. They're my purpose, and they've changed my life in so many different ways, I can't imagine not having them
blackskies4646@reddit
31, don't have any and I do not (and have never) wanted kids.
People ask me why and I say because I've never liked them, don't want to give up my free time, flexibility and/or hobbies. Additionally the added financial strain would be too much.
People have called me anything from selfish to sickening for thinking the way I do but when I see those same parents complaining about their kids acting out and being limited as to what they can or can't do as the kid is the priority, it re-affirms my decisions
My brother is the same; he and his partner go snowboarding every year to Austria, attend festivals/concerts regularly, both have good jobs and lead very (socially) busy lives. A kid simply would never fit into that lifestyle.
Yorkshire_Tart@reddit
The hardest yet best and most rewarding thing I've ever done.
BambiMonroe@reddit
I’m kind of glad that’s it’s become a bit more normal to have a moan and let it be known not every day is perfect.
You can be an excellent parent while absolutely acknowledging that it’s fucking hard and you have days where you genuinely question whether you’re cut out for it.
I adore my kids, but ones autistic and I think it’s much healthier for me to admit that there’s days it absolutely kills me off, than to keep up the Instagram “life is all days playing in the leaves and learning Mozart” facade. She’s an absolute don, I adore her, she’s hilarious and witty and I would never for a second suggest I regret having her. But are there days I could leave her in the woods for nature to claim her? Yup.
PristineGrass5044@reddit
I want kids but feel like it will never happen
Naturalgreenhair@reddit
It’s very very very difficult having a full-on toddler on days you just CBA. But you do it for them because making my son smile/laugh is the best thing I’ve ever experienced.
theresOnlyNow@reddit
About a month off having my second child and absolutely DO NOT regret it one bit. Sure is the hardest, most expensive, most exhausting thing I've ever done, it breaks your heart some days and feels entirely thankless on otters. But then all the magical stuff happens and you feel as though your heart is going to burst it's so full. I'd go through all the hard days, colic and sleepless nights, getting kicked and the tantrums, just to see my child laugh or tell me they love me, discover a butterfly for the first time or two new my cooking was delicious. The things they say when they start talking will melt you on an almost daily basis. Yeah it's crazy fucking hard but it's COMPLETELY worth it. You just have to be in a place mentally and emotionally where you're willing to make sacrifices for them, no mistake, they come first EVERY time.
Thehoopening@reddit
No, not at all, I love my bambinos, they make me laugh every day and each cuddle they give me makes my heart happy. That said, they are hard work and I have aged about 20 years in the last 5, but for me personally it’s worth it. My mother however has always told me she regrets having children and if she could “go back and have her time again” she wouldn’t have done it. I haven’t spoken to her or my dad in 7 years so you can see that the resentment bled into their parenting.
Aggravating-Win-3638@reddit
I didn't get a choice so I can't really regret something I had no control over.
InevitableCarrot4858@reddit
I complain about my kids every day and then if they dare spend more than 3 hours upstairs playing I miss them, get bored and have to build a Fort, go up kidnap one and make the other one fight me to rescue them. Then one of them gets hurt and my wife shouts at us all.
So yes, but usually only for about 2 hours.
MattyLePew@reddit
I’ve got 3 kids, not a day goes by that I regret having kids, that being said, I’m definitely wishful that my wife and I had more time just us prior to kids arriving. There are so many places in the world we want to see and that’ll now have to wait until the kids are old enough to look after themselves!
Badevilbunny@reddit
No, not in the slightest. They have caused me to cry and be the angriest I have ever been, made me laugh and brought such joy to ny life. Never regretted it once.
Relative-Dig-7321@reddit
Not even for a microsecond.
East_News_8586@reddit
I have 2 kids, one is a healthy neurotypical child and my other child is neurodivergent with a multitude of health issues that still struggles to sleep at 3 years old. Some moments or even days are HARD, but they are the light of our lives.
Sure sometimes I miss the freedom I had before having kids but in all honesty I would have them again in a heartbeat. Nothing tops having them in our lives.
Dapper_Consequence_3@reddit
I dont regret having children but somedays it would be nice not to parent. Today my eldest left the freezer door open for a few hours. The freezer is no longer working. He's 15 years old and I'm thinking of putting him up for adoption. When they're young it's monotonous same routine everyday and when they're older they become even more of a worry and do stupid shit. It's hard and some people find it harder than others. Try not to judge as you've never walked jn their shoes.
Low-Pangolin-3486@reddit
I don’t regret it at all. I do miss the flexibility to just do whatever I like whenever I like (which is something that friends without kids just don’t ever seem to grasp, even though my kids are now several years old so you’d think they might have got it by now).
I do have a good life balance and I do have a good partner and family support so I know that definitely makes things easier.
Melodic_Dig_6318@reddit
Loved having my son - he's 25 now and has a son of his own, my grandson. Whilst at times when he was young yes it was overwhelming at times, I just loved him and was so happy - life flew by faster than anything. Not a single regret and nothing but gratitude for having the privilege to experience being a mum ❤️
SongsAboutGhosts@reddit
Absolutely not. I would love to have one day where I can just do nothing and recharge, so that may well be what your friend means by 'I don't feel like parenting today' (my babe is 8mo, for context). But at the same time, I'm not volunteering to go away and leave my partner with him for a day so I can do that, because I also don't want to be away from him, when it actually comes down to it, even though I crave the kind of relaxation that absolutely isn't possible while he's around. I choose him over than 8h sleep, getting up when I want, reading a book in bed for hours, taking time to cook and enjoy something delicious, a long shower and early to bed, no matter how much I miss those things.
Ok_Blueberry_3139@reddit
Best thing I ever did
The_Sown_Rose@reddit
My mum once told me she loves me as a person but she doesn’t like being a mother and if she could make the choice again, she wouldn’t become one. It’s partially why I decided against having children (there were other factors too.)
ResolutionNumber9@reddit
My wife and I are childfree and we have a really fun lifestyle. My parent friends often admit to being jealous, but then I ask them if they would trade what they have for our life. About 10% admit that they would. I'm honestly impressed that 90% of parents would make the same choice all over again, but I would estimate the answer to your question at about 10% of parents do regret their choice.
ArtisticJerk0001@reddit
No! this is the most beautiful thing in my life! The only thing that really makes you love someone else more than yourself. I would never go back, not for all the money in the world. I would die a million times for him. But! It's going to be tough and your life is never gonna be the same ever. It's a sacrifice you must accept when having kids.
zennetta@reddit
We have a 12 year old, and a 2 year old. No regrets at all. When they are babies/very young they need constant attention but dealing with the tense moments and outbursts teaches you a lot about yourself as well. Now our eldest is a young man, he's a lot more receptive to "grown up" perspectives, and it's enabled me to reflect on my own father's behaviour and methods (he is a fantastic dad). I can't imagine my life without them and I would die for them in a heartbeat and without question.
mythofmeritocracy12@reddit
I think I used to regret it a tiny bit when they were small and all consuming of my time and identity. Now though, they are 11 and 14, do their own thing but are a joy to be around (genuinely think kids are just nicer today), and I don't regret it at all. I worry for their future, but I'm hoping I've given them the skills they need to be able to become functioning adults - fingers crossed!
Pandas_Cant_Fly@reddit
Some days yes I feel like I regret it, but, I am usually feeling really bad and tired on those days and it’s not a reflection on my child, it’s just in my mood.
I absolutely love having my little one and can’t wait to give her a little sibling, it’s tough yes but she’s such a ray of sunshine and she’s always coming out with new things and I’m always looking into the future and excited to find out what’s next :)
yorkshirepuduk@reddit
I recommend any newly weds or couples to take child prevention methods as having a child or several is nice most of the time but fk me the amount of money and time required is immense, I wouldn't change my kids but they are hard work and a drain on your health and finances ,having a autistic child is not just hard work it's been hard to accept to but fuck do I love them with ever bone in my body
Peter_Sofa@reddit
I have kids and I do not regret having them at all, I feel sorry for your friends children.
thereisalwaysrescue@reddit
My humour is very self depreciating so I always call my kids, “my awful kids”. I have a 1yr old and a 7yr old.
My 7yr old has ADHD, and some days have been hard. Theres been twice where I’ve said I don’t want to be a parent anymore; first time was when our baby died and we still had to parent him and all his idiosyncrasies and I was exhausted. I just wanted to die myself. The second was after he had a huge meltdown and our baby was crying with teething. I was done in.
However he is the most resilient, brave, hilarious boy. No matter what has happened, he gets back up and deals with it. He’s been bullied badly and we have just finished home school with him, and he’s gone back into the school system so well. I’m so proud of him. The education system has been the hardest for both of us.
My baby girl is a blessing every day. I joke that she’s happy to be here as we never planned for 3 kids. She’s smiley, loves her brother, and just is a chill baby. I am so lucky I got a second chance at a happy ending.
Sometimes I miss my old life of money, no responsibility, climbing the career ladder etc. I won’t lie. But I love my kids. I wish parenting was easier and I could get a break sometimes.
4321zxcvb@reddit
My kids and wonderful and l love them more deeply than I would have ever imagined possible.
Select_Refrigerator9@reddit
I have children, and don't regret it at all, and have been through some very difficult times including losing one to a long term illness, but I don't regret it. I can understand why people sometimes say they do as it's got to be about one of the hardest things you can do. And I can understand why some people don't want children, it's not for everyone. But I can't really understand those who have them and don't seem to care.
HolzMartin1988@reddit
I do not regret having my daughter but I do regret not having more but due to health reasons I couldn't have anymore. My daughter is 15 now.
HmNotToday1308@reddit
It's not that black and white.
My oldest was born with an extremely rare disorder which is life limiting and even if she does live longer than me who's going to care for her?
I love her more than I can ever say but I wouldn't have had her if I'd have known. Not for my sake but for hers.
Nice-Masterpiece1661@reddit
My life was fun before I had kids, but it is fun now too in another more fulfilling way. I have two, 6 months and 2.5. Life just better with them and this is coming from someone who traveled a lot before loved to party and have a lot of hobbies. Regarding hardships, I mean, for me personally it is a “good hard” like when you are going to the gym, it hurts but I love it, the same way with children.
It is just so cool to have tiny little minis at home, and they are cute and hilarious, and super silly most of the time. I love peacefulness of story-times and bedtimes, bliss of cuddles and kisses and hugs from little hands. Ridiculous but such real laughter and silliness of tantrums. It is just all a bit rollercoaster, but very enjoyable and fulfilling.
12-7_Apocalypse@reddit
Of course not. They taste great with BBQ sauce or garlic mayo. The bill was bad.
TheOnlyNemesis@reddit
Some people are just not meant to be parents. Some want kids because they like the idea but then the reality hits. Looks at my ex wife.
Used_Captain_3131@reddit
It just adds a ton of household admin you didn't think of. Did I know 12 years ago that I'd have to deal with 3-4 emails A DAY from a school receptionist who can't send an attachment correctly, or find out that for the 3rd time this school year someone's taken his branded PE top home and we need a new one for £30 by next week or he gets a detention? No.
If the parents try and do equal share of the load they both feel hard done to (wife had a breakdown last year at how she does everything and I just play video games. She does the booking of trips, uniforms etc while I do the cooking, cleaning, packed lunches, every bedtime, bath time etc... she does the morning drop and I do the pick up, as I work 5am-2.45pm and she works 10am-8pm. I'm playing video games when she sees me because I've just sat down after being up since 4am!)
It's fun, but the moments of joy are private and the frustrations are public. I can't moan at my kid for being a kid, but I can vent about it to others. I try not to vent about their mum too much as she works long hours too and we are both tired- she hasn't fully realised this yet!
Sea_Corgi_7284@reddit
Got a 3 old and a 2 month old, of course it’s very difficult, but so are most of the rewarding things in life. Nothing makes me happier than seeing them happy, nothing.
Ok-Kitchen2768@reddit
I don't have kids but I regret my mum having me does that count?
Delicious-Cut-7911@reddit
No, I never moaned about my child. I had him age 35yrs after trying a couple of years.
mohammedafify1@reddit
Never I have a three month little girl, I love her so much, she's my all concern in life, as I come from ME, so it's different to raise a girl than a boy, so I always try to be a good dad for her, also her mum too, but I never regretted having her at all.
nesh34@reddit
It's unquestionably the best thing I've ever done with my life. I couldn't imagine how much I would change and the capacity for love that I would have. It's obviously fucking hard work as well but I don't regret it at all.
rellz14@reddit
Hell no I don’t.
MissWiggleNjiggle1@reddit
I don’t regret for one minute having my kids (16 4,4)but Jesus Christ on a tiny bike it’s not bloody easy especially being a single parent
circleribbey@reddit
Never. It can be hard at times but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
ameliasophia@reddit
I think people just like to complain about whatever they're doing tbh. Like, I'm doing my degree at the moment and all me and my friends do is whine about it non-stop. But deep down we know we're lucky to be able to do it and if we didn't want to be doing it we wouldn't.
It's like celebrities when they complain about the downsides of being famous. Just because there are negative aspects doesn't mean there are not positive elements that outweigh those, it's just we're more likely to express our complaints, whether that's because we're whiney and ungrateful or just because nobody likes to sound like they're bragging all the time.
For me, I don't regret it at all, I feel like this is what I was always meant to be (which makes sense tbf because before I had children I worked with babies). Just wish I could afford to have more really.
Hot_Success_7986@reddit
Never, our son is the very best thing that ever happened to us, we had a wonderful time bringing him up, getting to experience the wonders of childhood again but through his eyes. We got to take part in activities that we would never have done if we hadn't had a child.
Yes, there are tough moments when you are short of money, time, energy, and sleep, but those become with time things that you are proud of getting through.
Our only regret is that we could only have one child. He has grown into an amazing human being we are very proud of him. Perhaps one day we can with luck experience him becoming a parent.
I would recommend being a parent if you want to as it's incredible.
Also, there's nothing wrong with saying to friends.
"Some days, it's too tough "
as long as you don't male your child feel unwanted.
Equally, if you can't cope with the baby crying in that moment there's nothing wrong with putting the baby safely in their cot and taking a walk to the end of your garden with a coffee as long as you are only taking a refreshing breath and drink of coffee. If tge need gets too often, ask for help.
Nobody should expect you to be a perfect parent least of all yourself. We do, however, expect you to make some happy memories 😊
Omnissiah40K@reddit
Never. Its the greatest joy I've ever experienced.
RunawayPenguin89@reddit
People (like my ex) want babies, and the attention that comes with them, be it irl or online. That soon wears off.
People don't realise past a certain age it can be a full time job training a complete moron not to off themselves and how to function as an actual human being.
It's exhausting but wouldn't change it for anything, the positives well outweigh the negatives
UdonDugong@reddit
Not the child. The mother, yes
fleetwood_mag@reddit
I have a 14 month old daughter and I’m very happy I have her. Sometimes it really would be nice to put my feet up and not parent for a bit, but such is life with young kids. She’s a joy to raise and we’ll soon be sleeping again..surely.
FourArtifact@reddit
Got an 8 month old and a 3 year old who we think is on the spectrum, but can't really tell until he does some tests when he's older, but currently he's with speech therapists and we slowly find way to deal with his meltdowns and hyper-fixations.
Everyone always tells you the horror stories, because they're the ones that stick out. Myself included, and it is bloody hard work.
But to be honest, they could be an absolute nightmare for hours on end, but seeing my boys play together or hearing them laugh usually just kinda counteracts the whole thing.
Best way I can really explain it, they're an absolute pain in the arse. But they're YOUR pain in the arse.
Marlboro_tr909@reddit
Not for a second. Having children is the mission, the adventure, of my life
VixenRoss@reddit
I don’t regret having children but unfortunately the education system is broken and stripped to the bone.
So many children are having mental health problems because of the educational system.
Adventurous_Toe_1686@reddit
2 kids, eldest is 3, youngest is only 3 weeks old.
I think it’s kinda sad when parents only ever vent about their kids instead of celebrating them. Sure we all occasionally vent, but to only vent. That’s sad.
Do I regret having kids? Nope.
Am I tired literally all of the time right now? Yes.
Do I want to curl up into a ball sometimes and ball my eyes out? Absolutely.
Do I love the little buggers? Massively so.
I made a choice to have kids and I don’t regret it one bit, but then again not all of us our cut out to be parents…
Alarming_League_2035@reddit
In the throws of babyhood, being sleep deprived & exhausted and living in a constant state of never ending chores to do.. I regretted it a lot, people used to say aw you'll miss this time once she's grown.. I thought they were crazy! Then came the sleeping through the night (just in time to stop me running away from the vicious sleep depraved life I was living! Now my kidda is all grown up, I absolutely think she's the best human being that's ever graced this planet.. Only thing I will say, you never stop worrying about your kids, no matter how old they get, so you lose peace of mind the second you find out you're about to become a parent.. and the worries change through the years, but the peace never comes back lol
Sea-Fly-8807@reddit
5 years in and I would never regret having our boy - one thing I wish I could turn off would be the constant worrying about him and his well-being but that’s all part of the process. I do understand when people want that break though, it’s non-stop and absolutely life-changing.
ApprehensiveElk80@reddit
I have two, early and mid teens, still at school. Do I regret it - no. Is it bad. Yes. Do I have days when I wish I didn’t have to parent one or both of them? Yes.
But they are everything and we all have shitty days.
poptimist185@reddit
No because through all the shit there are enough times when they’ll make you laugh harder than anyone you’ve ever met, and seeing a human grow from baby to adult every single day is genuinely interesting
Roncon1981@reddit
Honestly no
Sunnyduck80@reddit
I never wanted children but got pregnate at 18 but sadly my son died at a week old from heart defect 😢 the love i felt for him was so much then i was broken like ive never been b4 😔 Now i have an 18m,16f,15m,12f , & 4 year old 😊i love been a mum & wouldnt change my life at all, been a mum can be overwhelming at times & stressful but the happiness & love out weights that all 💕
Electus93@reddit
Can u down a 20 foot waterslide?
mrs-cunts@reddit
a pretty interesting article about this, thought I’d share
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/should-i-have-kids
himit@reddit
I do realise that if I hadn't had kids I'd have so much money and that's a bit of a regret. Even just waiting longer would have been good.
But no, I adore my kids. Even when it's hard I don't regret that they're here. Do I want time away sometimes? Of course - raising children is hard work. But I wouldn't give them up for the world.
Your friend's currently in the trenches right now because newborns are very difficult. An iced coffee and a listening ear (and a nap) is probably all she wants. Maybe ask her about the positives; some people think sharing positives is the same as bragging so avoid it unless asked.
throwawaypokemans@reddit
No I would keep having them though if it wasn't so hard/expensive.
I honestly believe it's the meaning of life.
Common_Relief8357@reddit
This 9-5 lifestyle ain’t the one for raising kids imo, personally I’d like to be financially stable/ time free before having children.
Steeeeeveeeve@reddit
Absolutely no regrets in having children (4 yr old and 3 months old) I do regret waiting until my late 30's to start though (although that was more circumstantial than choice) as I'm now 40 and easily tired with a 3 month old 😂) both the most rewarding and bloody stressful thing in life, would never regret, they are fricking amazing
BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit
I don't regret, but some days it is a struggle, and you have to just get on with it anyway. But you should really know it is going to be a pretty big commitment and a challenge before you do it. It is one of the reasons I am glad I didn't have kids until I was a bit older. I don't think I would have been mature or calm enough to handle it well in my twenties.
KingPizzaCrust@reddit
It’s hard, of course it is. I wish I had more.
_marimays@reddit
My daughter is 9. Not once in 9 years have I thought 'I can't be bothered today'.
Maybe I'm lucky to have an awesome kid but parenting has always been easy. I don't have multiple children that argue and fight with each other so perhaps that also plays a part.
DifficultyBoth2985@reddit
Mind nearly 10, he has his moments but is generally a great kid and thankfully is healthy and doing fine at school.
I’m glad we stopped at one, we have very little family support on a day to day basis and I think more would have changed parenting from being a joy to a chore as I’d have zero time for me.
mrshakeshaft@reddit
This is almost exactly my situation. We have a 9 year old girl and can’t have anymore kids so that’s us done. Sometimes we’d like to have had more but I like the family dynamic that we have. Most of my friends have 2 or 3 and it looks like it’s either organised to the hilt or fucking chaos all the time, very little relax time going on
Impossible-Drive-685@reddit
I don’t and absolutely love most of it, except last night when we were all ill and he had me up three times feeding for an hour each - that’s a killer. But it’s all part and parcel and the nights will soon get better.
It’s hard work though so I would seriously consider whether I’d want to have a second as I feel it could quite easily turn from a very amazing, busy and fulfilling time to being quite stressful… depends on the age gap too
Jlaw118@reddit
We have a 14 month old, admittedly he was unplanned but as much as he’s a handful quite a lot of the time, not for one second do I regret having him. It’s magical watching him grow up and learn new things everyday and watching his personality come out.
It absolutely melts my heart when he screams with joy when I walk through the door after a long day at work, and nothing beats that.
My girlfriend often jokes that she doesn’t want to parent today, but she loves him to pieces and doesn’t mean any of it, it’s just a bit of an exhausted phrase because it is hard work and she’s at it near enough 24/7 with small breaks between him sleeping and napping.
But no we don’t regret it for a second
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