Since my brother’s passing, I’ve become more sensitive than ever to the idea of babies being born into a cruel harsh world. A lot of selfishness in the world of child-rearing exists, because pretty much everyone who wants children wants them mainly because they want the next generation of their family to exist once they are gone; they want their names to be passed on and the fruits of their labor. They think that children will fulfill their lives and give them a sense of purpose, but in order for that to really be the case, those children’s parents need to be in a good head space themselves and have a certain level of emotional maturity and happiness in their own lives to make sure that their kids will be happy.

If I were to never get to a period of life where I was actually happy, fulfilled, emotionally sound, and able to fully and comfortably support myself, I would rather not have children at all because I never want to repeat the mistakes of my parents, and I never want to bring children into this world who are at high risk for unhappiness, mental instability, and familial dysfunction.