You know how some people are just “born to be parents”? Well, guess what, some people are just born to….well, not be. With more and more celebrities coming out (like the totally awesome Cameron Diaz!) and expressing why they’ve decided to remain childless, we decided to take a look into some of the best reasons why it’s okay to decide you don’t want to be a mom.
Because kids are more than a full-time job
You know how much you already dread going to your 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday gig? Well imagine having a whole other gig that takes up your 5pm-to-7am those days and 24 hours on weekends. Let’s be serious, to some people that downtime they have from their real job is just too darn precious to be used elsewhere.
Because babies are a social expectation, not a necessity
You undoubtedly know that one person in your life who had a baby because it was expected of them…not really because it seems like they a) wanted a baby or b) would ever really make a great parent. We are raised to believe that there is a natural progression in life – love, marriage, babies – and when we fail to follow this progression people get totally weirded out. But guess what? The world isn’t going to crumble just because you don’t want to push a watermelon-sized being out of your girl parts. Just for the record.
Because it is the ultimate self-sacrifice
You know your expensive handbags and your designer dresses and your $150 bottles of wine with dinner? There is a serious possibility that you will lose some or all of those things once you decided to have children (and not just because designer anything doesn’t usually go well with baby barf). When you decide to have children you are deciding to give up many of the things you love the most to in turn, provide your children with everything you will want to give them. Some people just aren’t ready to make those kinds of sacrifices. And well, that’s okay.
Because it doesn’t make you heartless
Newsflash: just because someone doesn’t want a baby doesn’t mean they don’t like babies. Don’t believe the hype, ladies – just because you don’t want a pack of little ankle-biters doesn’t mean you’re destined to be that awful, evil old lady across the road who has 17 cats and growls at young prey every time they walk by her door. You are allowed to love kids but not want any of your own. Don’t let people tell you otherwise.
Because you can always change your mind
Twenty years from now your biological clock suddenly kicks into high gear? Well guess what? We’re living in the 21st century and thankfully for us there are plenty of ways we can have children or at least bring children into our lives (through adoption) well into our 40’s and 50’s. Hey, if Halle can do it and still look like she does, you can too, girl.
