A couple have hit back at people calling their decision to not have children 'selfish'.
It's a view which is becoming increasingly popular for many people who are the age where they might consider starting a family. The term 'child-free', as opposed to 'childless' - which implies that it's not by choice - has become increasingly prominent.
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For Australian couple, Indianna (Indi) Diaz, 25, and Heraldo, 34, the decision was clear that they didn't want to have kids together. But their decision seems to have prompted a mixed reaction online.
They posted a video to TikTok celebrating Heraldo getting a vasectomy. This came after Indi was 'flat out refused' a tubal ligation, with medics telling her they would not perform the procedure until she had either had children or was 35-years-old.
So it fell to Heraldo to instead to get a vasectomy to make sure that they didn't have any unwanted accidents.
She said: “My husband was adamant that he would get a vasectomy. He’s like, ‘You’ve done your bit, you have been on birth control, it’s my time.’”
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The video was captioned: “POV: Your husband gets the snip, so you get to live forever in your DINK (Double Income, No Kids) era,”
One person replied: "I was this, never wanted kids, until I had them, they are the only reason to be here on earth, and you will miss out on the ultimate human experience."
However, the majority of people seemed to be supportive of the pair, including people who had children themselves.
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One person replied: "I love being a mom, but I agree that no one should have children if they don’t want them. No need to justify your reasons!"
"Amazing well done. I don’t want children myself and I can’t stand people who don’t respect my decision not to have children. Well done."
Some were more critical of the pair, with Indi responding to one person.
They wrote: “I will never understand the point of getting married unless you’re going to have kids."
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Indi replied: “Marriage for us is a celebration of our love for one another. People marry for union, not always for children.”
There are a lot of reasons why people are choosing not to have children in 2023. One big factor is that millennials are the first generation to be economically worse off than their parents.
Whether it's low wages, the high cost of living, insecure employment, or even the risk of being penalised by private landlords, the stability which makes having children viable simply isn't there anymore.
While some people are still choosing to start families, for an increasing number of people the growing social pressures are enough to make them certain that having children is not for them - and that is their decision.
Topics: Parenting, TikTok, Social media
Kit Roberts