Late 30's, female, never wanted children. When I was very young, that preference was inspired by a conscious rejection of the roles society had set for me ("wi

Late 30's, female, never wanted children. When I was very young, that preference was inspired by a conscious rejection of the roles society had set for me ("wife and mother"). As an adult, that stance has weakened (if I'm choosing something because I want it rather than because someone's telling me too, it's still my choice). But I've come to believe that I would be a terrible mother. In part because I can't stand children and the noise they make; in part because I don't want them enough to be willing to make the sacrifices of time, energy, and other resources that are necessary to raise a child; in part because I'm both uninterested in and just plain terrible at nurturing. If I had found a life partner who wanted kids badly enough, I might have had them. He would probably have to have committed in advance to being the primary caregiver, though. I'm much more comfortable in the role of breadwinner than nurturer. Regrets? Not at all. Sometimes a vague concern about being lonely and without a financial safety net in old age, but that seems to me to also be a terrible reason to have children.