[Antoninus]

I had a freer life.

I have relatives that have made the same decision as you to forego children. Now that they are in their 60s and 70s, they are trying to figure out who is going to take care of them when they need help and become decrepit. The answer is usually, "Someone who enjoys my money but doesn't really like me." The "freer life" comes with a big cost at the end.

[kaila]

You are never going to get a guarantee of your children taking care of you as you get old. That may have worked last century, when having children was like your 401k, in that they would take care of you on the farm. Nowadays, you see many people in nursing homes in which family never visits. Having children by thinking they will take care of you is not happening anymore. Most of my friends who have children see them maybe 2-3 times a year as they live in different states. They may visit in the eventuality that placement in a nursing home is needed, but after they find a home,off they go back to their homes and life in different states.