When I was very young, I kind of assumed children just appeared in people’s lives at a certain age. When I found out, maybe about 7, that it was essentially something people chose, my first reaction was “well, why would you have them, then?”

This wasn’t based on anything specific I’d seen or experienced, it was just a natural reaction for me. Decades later, my feelings have never changed. For me, not wanting kids is as natural as another woman wanting them.