Thank you. And baby monkeys are my spirit animal.     

I don’t really have anything constructive to say...just, I really, really hear you. And that sucks. *hugs*

Just my perspective, but I feel that we also live in a culture now where we’re expected to indulge ourselves in our 20s (partying, travel, career ambitions) and not even think about families until we are 30. My entire social circle waited until their mid-30s to *start* having kids, and the rare person who had them…

Yeah I am kind of jealous of the energy that younger parents have, but they are jealous that I got to travel the world and party at their age and they are also jealous of our patience and financial stability.

Those people annoy the crap out of me! They have no clue and won’t listen to a word when you try to have an actual conversation about what it’s like raising kids today. Everyone (every. single. one.) I know my age (early-mid 30's) with kids has “made it work” with significant financial and/or babysitting help from…

I’m 44. While it makes me a little sad that having children was never even an option to decide against, I’d rather shave my head with a cheese grater than be chasing around after a toddler when I’m pushing 50. 

This is kind of heartening. I’m 33. I am with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with (we’ve been engaged for a good while, getting round to it slowly for reasons I’m about to get to). Great stuff.

For real. I live in the Midwest (not in an expensive area) and I take my youngest two to an in-home daycare (at her home where she watches other kids too), and I also send my 1st grader to after school care. I tallied it all up for my taxes and I spent around $18k on child care last year - this is on the least…

Exactly. The friends in my life who have kids make it work by:

My (purely anecdotal) Pros of being an older momma: patience, established career, wisdom.

My “birth control” is $750/mo. in student loan payments. I’m about to turn 31 and the only people in my social circle who have kids are either very wealthy (as in both partners make 100k+ a year) or neither partner went to college, so no student loan debt.

If by “over-stimulated by technology,” they mean “much more aware of the horrifying realities of pregnancy, motherhood, and the future of the planet thanks to the power of the internet,” then yeah, pretty much.

The world is perpetually short supplied of banana bread. Can’t say the same of humans.

...Women Over 30 Are Having More Babies Than Younger Women

You keep living your best life, Jennifer Barkley! :)

I only just got married in October at age 30, soon to be 31 here. My husband and I would like kids and keep thinking late 2020 may be when we try but like... it’s so expensive. We worry about the planet. Just don’t know really. By the time I’d have a baby, I’d be 32 MAYBE. If things go easily. I don’t want us to be…

Same boat for me, basically. The people I know having kids--one or on their second now--have high-paying jobs and one of them, usually the woman, can afford to stay at home for a while. Having children is definitely easier when you’re privileged and wealthy.

I’m 32 and every time I go on Facebook it’s like, “Surprise! WE’RE PREGNANT!” or “Soandso has a sibling on the way!” Meanwhile I’m a single cat lady who has time to go to the gym, attain my goals as a figure skater, and make banana bread. 

These findings are not surprising.

plus the earth is dying and it’s only getting worse! i chose not to have kids because i couldn’t shake the mental image of them staggering through the wastelands missing arms and roasting in 50C heat with their best possible day being “didn’t get murdered for my gas or water supply”.