In my 20’s, I hoped the proverbial “baby clock” just hadn’t kicked in. I’d always felt ambivalent about having kids, and this awareness was disconcerting for me. Not yearning to one day be a parent as my friends and clients did left me questioning my makeup – and my worth. So I desperately hoped something would shift inside of me. Life is seemingly easier when we want the things we’re “supposed” to.
But said “clock” has yet to turn on, and despite my extensive training in psychology and my non-conformist mindset, I still feel ashamed of my ambivalence at times. Logically I know there’s nothing wrong with me, and voluntary childlessness is on the rise; emotionally, though, I fear others will perceive me as cold, less attractive, or “flawed.”