Are you pressured to have children?

My mother would often joke and say "put the pictures of my grandchildren on my grave" because my sister and I were approaching 30 and weren't married and didn't have kids. I, however, made it pretty clear that I had no interest in having them even if I were to get married. Now I am 40 and married for 9 years. Still no kids! She understands that it isn't something that I want in my life and has often said that it is something that people shouldn't do if they don't want it. My sister is married and has 2 beautiful babies and that is all the grandchildren that she needs.

I can't have kids! Unfortunately that means everyone and their dog thinks they have the right to tell me I better hurry up or don't leave it too late! They seem to think I'm not having kids because I like my lifestyle and we're too busy enjoying ourselves. People should really think before they speak that there might be a another reason for it.

I had children because I wanted to have them. Nobody pressured me into having them. When my son and his wife were married, I often joked that it would be nice to have more grandchildren. She snapped at me and asked what would I think if they didn't/couldn't have children. I told her either way I would still love them both and I would still have my furry grandbaby. Not sure she really thought I was truly sincere with my comment. She didn't speak to me on the subject for a long time. They now are expecting their first child.

I get mithered about marrying and having kids - I now seem likely to die single and without offspring

I was never pressured to have any children. But my second oldest granddaughter is being pressured by her mother in law. Her husband is an only child and they want grandchildren. She is 22 years old and is now pregnant which makes her mother in law happy.

No I never was and mt dad talked to us as young ladies about not getting pregnant before marriage. I chose not to have children and I am sure I made the right decision.

Pressured? No. I sometimes think about having a kid though..

Talk about peer pressure! Where I grew up girls were having babies already at 11 and 12 years old. When I was 18 my mum told me "If you are not married by 25, you will be an old maid forever." My dad said "You are not going to college; you are just going to get married and have babies." Wrong!

No one pressured me to have kids. My husband and I have 3 kids, but it was because we wanted to have kids and were ready to have them. We're both happy we have our kids.

My parents were both gone by the time I was 21. So I didn't have that pressure.

No one should be pressured into having children. However, I made my parents and husband very happy when I had each son. They are my world!

Not by my mom, but by others. But its also my fault, because i want a baby; but then again i dont because of what happened to my daughter.

There was no pressure as such from others but some worry in the minds of our parents. Our only son was born after fourteen years of marriage. The void that we felt without children was gone and our lives attained more meaning. Agreed, no one should feel pressured by others' expectations on this matter - siva

I was never pressured - I had my one child when I was ready. However it is not the same for many women and young ladies. In some sections of society if a young woman doesn't have a child by a certain age she is called a 'mule'

Nope. I'm 53, never had kids, never wanted them. Still don't.

Since my nieces and nephews live so far away and we don't see them often at all so the pressure for my sister and me to have kids is heavy. My sister turned 26 this June and I will be 21 in August. Neither one of us are ready to have kids at all and we don't want them for another few years. We have both told my parents that we will have kids now if they are willing to take care of the financially and until we feel like we are both more financially ready we won't make the step forward to have kids. Well, of course, they didn't like that idea so we told them they would get them when we were ready to have them. Neither of us is even married yet and I am still in college so I still have a while before marriage is even a thought or an option for my boyfriend and me. Plus my mother didn't have my sister till she was 26 and she was 32 with me. We told her if she wanted grandkids by now she should have had us earlier and we would be older by now and probably ready to actually have kids by then.