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Passing on a Legacy Without Reproducing
I made a decision that I stand by, but it does not deny me a legacy.
When I got married, I was 42 years old.
My wife was 38. One of the things we came to realize early on in our relationship was that we did not want to have children.
We both love kids. In addition to our nephews and niece by blood, we have a number of other kids in our lives which we are Aunty and Uncle to.
We also agreed that had we met ten years before we did, this might have been a very different story. Back then both of us would likely have wanted to produce kids. Now, though, we both determined that that ship had sailed.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people have opinions on this topic. My wife, more than I, has gotten the “but you’re so good with kids! You’d be such a great parent” speech. I have no doubt I’d have been a great dad…but I also know that, now, in my 40’s, I have become too selfish and too set in my ways to be a parent.
One of the main reasons to produce children is to pass on your DNA. You keep your family line going, create the next generation, and theoretically pass on what you have learned when you have kids.
It’s in our makeup as human beings to pass on a legacy.
