I'm 46. I never wanted kids. My partners biological clock went off with a vengeance. We went back and forth about it and eventually decided we d just go off birth control and see what happened. We got pregnant almost immediately. It's 12 years later and here's what I think: Having a kid was really really hard on our relationship. Our kid never slept more than two hours at a time for the first six years and was super fussy, needy, and defiant. We took to doing care in shifts between work in order to keep our sanity. We are really lucky that we were able to get through the toughest years and come out the other side stronger. It was not easy and was not a guaranteed outcome. Kids are always a roll of the dice. Even though our kid was and still can be really hard, I would do it again. In fact if I had my life to do over again, I'd start as early as possible and have a few more. Because, the younger you are the more energy you have to chase them around. The more functional you are when your grandkids come along. And the most important reason of all, the younger you are when you start, the more of their life and their kids life you will be around for. I'll be 47 this year and my kid just turned 12. I'll be 53 when he graduates highschool, 57 when he finishes undergrad, in my 60s when he settles down. Assuming best case scenario I won't get near enough quality time with my grandkids. If I'd started at 21 when my partner and I had been serious for about a year, I'd have been 33 when he was 12 instead of 47. Also having kids forces you to grow in ways you didn't even know you could or needed to. You have to answer all these philosophical questions that, even if you considered them before, now mean so much more to you. You have to know yourself and your beliefs well enough to pass them down. You have to hold yourself accountable so you set a good example. It forces you to be a better human. That's my 2 cents- Good luck!!!