I hit an uncomfortable aging milestone a couple of months ago: I got my first "when are we getting grandkids?" from a family member. As a single, tiny apartment-dwelling woman with only slightly more financial stability than your average crypto trader, this struck me as a perplexing issue to raise at this point in my life. It's a loaded question, and not just because of the pressure that gets put on people to pop 'em out for the pleasure of their parents. Raising a child is one of the hardest things that somebody can choose to do, and there are plenty of factors involved that are enough to make any childless individual ponder whether they should just try and get sterilized once and for all.
This has been eloquently underlined by @m.a.r.i.aaaaaaaa, who drew viral attention earlier this month after stating her list of reasons for staying childless on TikTok. From the horrors that come with pregnancy, to the terrifying state of the modern word, to the fact that most of us don't want to give up being selfish, many viewers were in complete agreement with her comprehensive explanation. While personally, I'm still at a place where I'm willing keep my options open, it is extremely understandable that there are a lot of people out there who have decided that kids are a hard no.
