Women have the plumbing. Does that mean she has to? A successful cat lady I knew bought a house next door to her friend who had 4 kids-stay at home mom. Hononary auntie. Still died alone. She shouda had one of her own and let the friend raise the kid. She had the money. Offbeat? Yes but her physical and mental health would have been better.
As I don’t know how to reply to a list of posts, you get to be the guinea pig. I generally agree with you.
I have 7 formal, and two, informal godchildren. US, Japan, Germany. I’m not married, and decided because of genetics that I peobably would not have children. Type 1 diabetes, for example.
My godchildren are invested heavily in my life. Besides helping raise them (teaching them to drive and maintain autos, first solid food, reading stories 2x/week, 10 yrs of homework, navigating first loves, learning to fish or shoot, paying some of college or med schoool tuition, yada, yada, yada.
Three of them know me better than their parents do! All watch over me (now in my mid 70s) as I watched over them.
Two have blessed me with great god-children.
The crux of my diatribe? I can not imagine the deprivation experienced by those who have not been allowed by fate or circumstances to see and help an infant grow into a functioning, contributing member of human society.
Or the children could have been a whole mouthful of serpent’s teeth.