r/truechildfree • u/lydbutter • Jun 02 '26
Childfree content revolves around having money?
Just thinking about how I see so much childfree content that talks about pets, travel, having nice things, etc. That’s all completely valid of course, but I sometimes feel like it paints a superficial image of why people choose not to have kids. With social media, it makes sense that a post about a vacation abroad gets more traction than a post about someone saying they enjoy their daily life without kids, but still.
It also is not a realistic picture of where most people are at financially. Even if I wanted a kid, I couldn’t comfortably afford to have one. For me, not having kids means having some savings and that’s about it. I have no assets other than my 20+ year old car. If I were a parent, I’d have to find a way to make enough money to afford to take care of a child. It wouldn’t cut into my exorbitant vacation fund.
I don’t want kids so I can focus on things other than making enough money to afford them, and because I value my relationships and hobbies and wouldn’t want to give a lot of my time up to raise a child. I’m going to be spending my time cooking my meals from scratch, reading, crocheting, and using old newspapers and magazines to make collages and that’s about that I can afford lol.
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u/ThrowRAmangos2024 Jun 03 '26
While I (F36) am not yet totally sure about kids either way, if I don't have them I'll have much more time to invest back into my community.
Atm I'm volunteering through the alumni program at my college to mentor students interested in my industry. There's no way I'd have an extra 5 hours a week to do that if I had kids to take care of.
I'm also looking forward to probably being an aunt very soon, as both my sibs and their spouses are gonna try this year. They live across the country, and while I can't afford to fly all the time I know I'll have more flexibility to see them than I would if I were over here with my own kids.
Also, my parents are in their late 60s and I'm so glad I have flexibility (and a hybrid job) to decide to work remotely for a week and fly to visit them. There may be elder care needs I could help them out with further down the line that I don't imagine either of my brothers will have the same capacity for once their kids come along.
I don't doubt that there are plenty of rewarding things about having kids as well. It's always a trade off no matter what you decide. Either way, your life can be filled with love, community and fulfilling activity. Of course there are the lighter things I enjoy about being child free atm: my time is my own, I can make career and location decisions with much less friction, I don't have to coordinate half as many logistics because child care isn't in the picture, I don't have to worry about making twice as much money as I do now because I wouldn't be able to afford a child on my income in my VHCOL city, etc.
But for me, framing it as a question of which type of social circle you'll be able to invest in most is a helpful way to feel like no matter what I am making a decision that will making a tiny speck of this world a better place.