I’ve known since I was about 15 that I don’t want kids. When I tell people I don’t want kids, I usually get the response, “You’ll change your mind.” As I’ve gotten older, the more sure I am that I don’t want to have a parasite growing inside me. I know other women who don’t want children, but here are my reasons why I will never have children.

I probably will never have the money to support a child or children. I want to be a teacher; a teacher doesn’t make much money. I can’t depend on having a second income to help support a child because over 50% of marriages end in divorce. If I had a child, I would want to have the money so they could have a great education, grow up in a lovely house, etc. etc., but that won’t happen. I will not make enough money to help pay college for them, hell, I may never have enough money to even afford a house with two bedrooms the way the economy is going.

There’s already a huge overpopulation of people. I don’t need to contribute to the problem.

The world is becoming an increasingly scary place. I don’t want to bring a child into this world where school shootings, mass shootings in churches, movie theaters, and other public places are becoming a daily occurrence. There’s also a huge increase in terrorism. I don’t want to bring a life into this world that will be exposed to these things.

As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, I do not want to pass these horrible mental disorders onto a child. I suffered greatly as a child from my depression and anxiety; so much so, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Also, I don’t like kids. While yes, there are some kids I do like, it is not often that I find myself saying that I enjoy being around a child. When I tell people this, they usually say, “Well, you’d like your own!” What if I didn’t? That would be awful. If I were to have kids in some parallel universe, I’d want to adore them as a parent should. But why would I want to take that chance? I don’t.

I want to travel. I don’t want to be tied down anywhere. I want to be able to roam the world whenever I want to. Having a child wouldn’t allow me to. I am not selfish for wanting or saying this. It would be selfish of me if I had a child and uprooted them or if I resented them because I couldn’t travel.

Children are not in my future. Some people are meant to have children, others are not. I’m one of those people that are not meant to have children. No person will change my mind. No situation will change my mind. Stop telling me that “once you find a man, you’ll change your mind.” Stop telling other women who don’t want children the same thing. The only children I will have will be four-legged ones that bark.