There was no active, conscious decision-making point, just a gradual realization over time that I'm very happy minus children and marriage.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When I got married in my twenties, I had a happy marriage and happy kids but at some point in time I let it go off the rails; I let it go off the rails.
I was happier before, when I lead a normal life.
When I got to 40 or so... I had the sense when I looked back over my life I would actually see a mess of decisions, a few of which I had thought about, some of which I had sort of stumbled on, and many that I had no control over whatsoever.
Once I found professional happiness, it gave me time to think about other areas in my life in which I wasn't happy. The next obvious candidate for introspection was my marriage.
Yet I wanted to have children, and I knew that was my purpose, but I wasn't going to settle.
I'm completely happy and fulfilled in my personal life.
I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.
I had the sense when I looked back over my life I would actually see a mess of decisions, a few of which I had thought about, some of which I had sort of stumbled on and many that I had no control over whatsoever.
I made the conscious decision to not have kids, and I didn't want to be married.
I was very focused, driven, rigid, work-oriented. I didn't care about having a family or making a home. I didn't think about kids. It's not that I didn't want those things; I just didn't think about them.