Why I Chose to be Childless

I am a 44 year old guy who is going through his second divorce. My ex left while I was at work, and while I’m sure she thought it would surprise me, it didn’t. Our marriage was on the rocks for a while, so I was more relieved than surprised. She had 3 adult children from a previous marriage and had told me that she wished she hadn’t had children. My first wife wanted children and I think that is part of the reason that we divorced. I have known since I was around 13 that having children just wasn’t something I ever wanted. As the decades have passed, and as I’ve watched the world technologically progress (FYI, I’m a software engineer) while it socially regresses, I am very glad I never had children. Here the main reasons. One, my career in IT requires constant learning and it sucks up a HUGE amount of time. One of my requirements to be a parent is that the children come first, above all else. Since my first love is computers, I would not be able to dedicate the time to children that they require and I wouldn’t want them to resent me for not being there for them. Second, there are 7 BILLION people on this planet already and the resources here aren’t growing, they are being depleted. This is my main reason for not reproducing. With all the unwanted children already on Earth, to reproduce instead of adopting is just hubris taken to a sickeningly narcissistic level. China’s one child only policy should be done worldwide. With the population exploding, it is only a matter of time before another pandemic like the Spanish Flu of 1918 breaks out and wipes out a few billion people. Needless to say, that will be catastrophic, but it will be necessary to insure the survival of the species as a whole. If we don’t do something to slow the growth, we will deplete the Earth to a point where modern society will be unsustainable. Third, and this is the “selfish” reason. I simply don’t want the responsibility. I like being able to do whatever I want, when I want, and I don’t want to give that up. If you have a child, that all goes away, if you are a good parent. A huge reason we have children becoming criminals is because their parents want to be their “friends” and not lay down the law like parents should do. Once you bring another life onto this planet, that is your FIRST priority. No more partying it up, no more doing what you want. If you can’t accept that, then please use birth control. The planet, and the human race, will thank you.