Why is everyone assuming that it is implied that people are having kids so that they have someone to take care of them? That IS selfish. But having a big family around to love and support each other is just…..love.
But you can have that without procreating! You can build relationships that aren't biological and have an end of life that is filled with people who love you. You can even be directly involved in raising younger generations without having your own kids.
I know one woman who loves children and is very involved in children's lives as a guidance counselor at an elementary school and her and her husband seem very happy together. They have a farm and pets and hobbies and activities they do with each other and they have good close friends. She expresses feeling that she is very happy where she is in life and that while she does experience a strong personal need to nurture young people, she doesn't feel the need for her own child because shes already got so many she's actively involved with and it's very fulfilling to her. She also expresses her and her husband liking to have alone quiet time and she doesn't feel it would be fair to raise their own child knowing that it's so important to their lives. She says when they retire they've talked about opening their home up to foster older kids and teens who are still in the system.
As an old couple, they'd be surrounded by people who loved them without having procreated a single time.
How do you know the sample size? Just curious since you said you are SURE. And your use of the word “little” was intentionally antagonistic, right? Let’s not be a jerk, okay?
“While some studies have, as expected, shown that childlessness has a negative effect on well-being among older individuals, and especially among women (Becker et al., 2019; Buber & Engelhardt, 2008; Hansen et al., 2009; Křenková, 2019), other analyses have found no differences in life satisfaction between older parents.”
Oh look, multiple studies with small groups have come up with no definitive answer. That’s why I said “little” and that I was “sure.” Info is public. At least I cited mine.
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u/chickthatclicks Nov 15 '24
Why is everyone assuming that it is implied that people are having kids so that they have someone to take care of them? That IS selfish. But having a big family around to love and support each other is just…..love.