Occassionally, I meet older couples who don't have children, and it always strikes me as a strange situation. It's one thing if a couple has trouble conceiving or isn't settled yet. But it's an entirely different situation when a couple "chooses" not to have children.
I put "chooses" in quotes because evolution really didn't set up children as a choice. Evolution made sex fun, and then voila, children appear nine months later. In other words, it is not supposed to be an intellectual choice; there is no mental framework for weighing the costs and benefits of children. It is just a natural outcome of a relationship.
I used to think having children was strange, now I think not having children is strange. Having a child around feels very, very natural. And whatever preconceived ideas I had about children have discarded; parenting is mostly a visceral, emotional process. And I love it.
