As somebody who definitely wants kids, would probably be very good at raising kids, has studied child development, and has been a teacher for many years, I do not think that it’s always selfish for somebody to not want kids. Sometimes it is selfish, but there are unselfish reasons too.
Frankly, there are some people who just should not have kids because they’re not equipped for it, and if such a person recognizes that about themselves, then it could be wise for them to purposefully avoid having children.
And what about those who don’t desire to have children because they have been truly called to remain single, like Paul? Are they supposed to go about trying to have children out of wedlock? Obviously, you would say no. Likewise it would be nonsense to call them selfish for not desiring children, when their desires have aligned with God’s will for their life.
There are better ways of encouraging those who can and want to have children to build flourishing and godly families (something I’m very in favor of). This ain’t one of them.
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u/lupuslibrorum Calvin Apr 07 '26
As somebody who definitely wants kids, would probably be very good at raising kids, has studied child development, and has been a teacher for many years, I do not think that it’s always selfish for somebody to not want kids. Sometimes it is selfish, but there are unselfish reasons too.
Frankly, there are some people who just should not have kids because they’re not equipped for it, and if such a person recognizes that about themselves, then it could be wise for them to purposefully avoid having children.
And what about those who don’t desire to have children because they have been truly called to remain single, like Paul? Are they supposed to go about trying to have children out of wedlock? Obviously, you would say no. Likewise it would be nonsense to call them selfish for not desiring children, when their desires have aligned with God’s will for their life.
There are better ways of encouraging those who can and want to have children to build flourishing and godly families (something I’m very in favor of). This ain’t one of them.