I was pressured by my partner to have children. I had said from the outset of the relationship that I didn’t want kids. That was all fine, for the first year-18 months, Then things started to change.

how that played out?

We did not have children, we are no longer together.

She wanted to stay with me even without kids, but after the first days I saw her become an empty shell of a person. This was her meaning of life, apparently even more than we both thought. I could leave her, but that felt horrible as well.

Now we have a kid; the first few years were a personal nightmare for me because of mental health issues. Lack of sleep icw depression and what more makes parenting extra intense. I tried with all my might to not let it affect our child, I hope I managed to so far.

It’s a lot better now, the kid is great and I’m amazed how much love I feel, but I always feel guilty. For giving life (something that goes against my principles as I did not want to be born myself) and for not being able to 50/50 care because of the mental shit that makes me unable to. Aside from that the usual, missing my freedom, the continuous responsibility.

I would not do it again in a reset of my life, not because of the kid who I genuinely think is great, but due to my lack of mental health, which has the potential each and everyday to ruin it all for them (which is a compulsive intrusive thought in my mind). But I hang on, I try to.

With all the love and respect, I would not recommend anyone in my situation.

I always liked kids, but never saw myself having any.

I met a girl who was dead set on children and already ended a long relationship due to the partner not wanting kids.

I decided I could have one kid, as long as it was a few years in the future so I could do stuff you don’t really do when you have kids.

Years went by, pregnancy happened. Having a kid is exhausting but at the same time having a kid who considers you their most important person in the world is an amazing high and something you will never experience by babysitting someones kid.

I don’t regret having my child, I love my child very much and they surprise me every day with how capable they are of stuff, to the point I am amazed this little person is related to me at all.

I’m at peace with my decision even if I had other plans and might sometimes miss what could’ve been with less responsibility, but at the same time I will grow older and I will have less responsibility as my child gets older too. And as one grows older I imagine running around town being up to no good gets old as well.

My cat wanted to have kittens. I did not. They had other plans. Three beautiful kittens. Sold Two. Kept the one who snuggles up with me every night and purrs me to sleep. Wake up to this now: