How to Decide to be Child-Free

Choosing to be child-free is an important and highly personal decision that requires careful thought and consideration. Follow these steps to see if you and your significant other are ready to commit to being child-free and enjoying all of the benefits that come along with it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make a list of all of the positive aspects about being child-free, either alone or with your partner.
2. Consider the simple lifestyle you'd have without children. Less mess, less fighting, more alone time for yourself and more together time for you and your partner are all positive reasons to not have children.
3. Examine your financial situation and the impact that having children would put on you and your significant other. Consider the cost of schooling, clothes, activities and putting your kids through college. Having a child is a significant financial burden, so determining if you are ready to give up all of that money to have children or if you prefer to use it for other things is a key factor in deciding to be child-free.
4. Imagine all of the exciting things you could do without the financial and time commitment that children require. You could travel more, start your own business, retire early, volunteer and donate money to charities.
5. Decide if you and your partner truly enjoy being around children. You may not find much pleasure in being around kids but you could feel pressure from your families and from society to have them. If you don't enjoy them, then pay no attention to the guilt from your loved ones and go with your true feelings. You would be the ones taking care of the children after all, not all of the skeptics who are telling you to have them.
6. Ponder the cons of not having children, and decide if you can live with whatever you consider to be the downsides of being child-free.
7. Talk to others who haven't had children for different reasons and consider their opinions. Speak with people who have had children as well to see where you stand.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't already have a pet, get one. Having a pet is a great way to have extra company in your house without the huge commitment of having children. You may be perfectly content living with your pets and your significant other and see no need to have children.
• Remember that even if you decide to not have children now, you can always change your mind a few years down the road. At the same time, be realistic about your childbearing years if you're a woman.
• If you do decide to be childfree, don't listen to the negative opinions that your friends or families might have. You alone or you and your partner are the only ones who can make this decision, so don't let outside judgments sway you one way or the other.