No law says you gotta have or even like kids. It's not for everyone and too many people find it out too late. Trying to force it is just gonna make everyone miserable and that's a crummy way to live.

My best friend and his wife have been married for 15+ years and they have no kids and no plans to have them. They don't say "Never!" but they do say "Not likely.."

My aunt and uncle were married 30 years before he died and they never once regretted not having kids.

So don't let anyone try to make you feel how you don't feel or feel bad for feeling that way.

It's harder at my age to meet people who don't have kids. I don't mind if they're adults, that's a whole different thing. I mean sometimes that's not easy, either, or so I've heard.

I do want to meet someone who doesn't want any more kids, if they have them already. For one thing, it's a little late in the game for me, and I am not changing my mind about that at this point.

my last date had 3 teenagers...they were monsters...no thanks..no sir..no kids..

He had a heart attack...ended up having to have a triple by-pass...I stayed with him the entire time at the hospital, kids never visited unless they needed something..money,new Iphone etc...horrid brats..

I knew by my early teens I wasn't a "kid person" and didn't have the patience or commitment to be a parent. I was extremely fortunate to find the love of my life felt the same way, and we have never regretted staying child-free over our nearly 35 years of marriage.

Don't compromise -- stay true to your feelings.

Type "child-free dating service" or something similar into Google to see what you come up with for your area. Good luck!

They're all grown up, and I raised them myself.

When I divorced their dad in the late 80s, I immediately went out and got a tubal ligation. Everyone tried to talk me out of it, especially the doctor. What if I changed my mind and wanted more kids later? I was still young. What if I remarried someone who wanted kids?

I told them all patiently that there was nothing wrong with the kids I already had, I didn't need more, and that anyone who was interested needed to know upfront that there would be no more.

I don't think you need to compromise.

my daughter just broke off a relationship with a man (I'm convinced she truly loves him) because he has 4 children and my daughter knows that he must be a dad first and she knows she would not do well with the kids...

my oldest daughter is considering dating and doesn't want to start seeing someone with an ex-wife...

it is very wise to know thyself and sometimes go beyond the emotional to the pragmatic

by choice. I'm so glad I found a guy who is not into the kid thing either. I'm 48 and have never dated a man with children. Definite turn-off if you don't like kids. Do not compromise, just wait and keep searching. David and I met in our early 40s...

We all have the right to limit our dating pool in any manner we see fit. What is the sense in dating someone you know you would never be happy with? Just make sure your requirements are needs and not wants.

I have my dating criteria and I accept the fact that I am limited my pool by having the criteria. There is a beautiful red headed woman (with freckles) who stands at least 6’2” who doesn’t smoke and who is left handed, and some day I will find her. lol


Macoy

I suppose we all have a mental list of things we like or wish to have in a partner.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

My uncle divorced when his kids were young but ended up with custody because his ex was a drug addict with no personal responsibility (well, so was he at one point - classic hippie with a yellow dodge van with a canoe strapped to the top).

Anyway, he hooked up with a woman who was Catholic and made him convert as a condition of getting married. He was raised Methodist but wasn't really a "God" person. She also didn't want anything to do with his sons. Despite having adequate resources, they shipped the kids off to the Milton Hershey School and pretty much abandoned them there.

The youngest was adopted. He felt doubly abandoned. Before they graduated, my aunt decided she DID want a kid and they had a girl that she absolutely spoiled - as in brat spoiled. Upon graduating, my eldest cousin moved to Washington State and rarely comes back east. The younger moved to Florida and ended up getting shitfaced and killing himself in a pickup truck accident. I almost puked at his funeral listening to my aunt describe what a "wonderful person" he was. She couldn't stand either of the boys.

Trust me. Your intuition is probably 100% accurate on this one. You'll find someone even better, and probably by accident. The same situation is true for people who don't like pets, vegetarians and carnivores, smokers and non-smokers, drinkers and non-drinkers. You can't just wish away something or delude yourself into thinking it won't matter. It will.

They are the nicest, smartest men I know (well, after their father, anyway). I have the greatest respect for them, and very glad that they're part of my family.

There, I said it

than to try something and have it fail badly. Anyone who can identify issues that can potentially ruin a relationship is more likely to find a successful and mutually happy relationship. there are plenty of men and women whom do nto have an issue with children. I am sure this person will find someone else, just as I am sure there is a match for you without young children. I wish you the best and congratulate you on being able to be honest with yourself on this issue.

I quickly realized that my dating pool would be severely limited if I excluded women with kids. Just anecdotal on my part, but I would guess that 2/3 of the women in my age range (I was early 30s at the time) were single/divorced moms - and, I dated a lot between marriages. The women without children seemed to mostly be either college students (who seemed to like me when I was divorced and in the my 30s, but not when I was actually in college) or Filipino nurses.

But, to each his or her own.