30 Reasons Life Without Children Can Be Beautiful

1. You can have sex anywhere in the house.

2. If you have pets, don’t have to worry about the kids fucking around with them.

3. Staying sane. I have the unfortunate privilege of hearing my upstairs neighbors kid screaming and running and stomping and crying every other morning. I hate it.

4. Freedom! Freedom to move around, freedom to travel last minute, freedom to sleep in… money is great, but freedom is key.

5. When you go on a vacation, it’s actually a vacation.

6. Being able to continue working on yourself without the pressure of how quickly you heal or grow because you’re not responsible for shaping a child’s mind.

7. Money is usually the knee-jerk answer, but a big one is time.

8. I can relax knowing I’m not literally responsible for every aspect of a little human’s life

9. I have poop on my hands less often.

10. Not having to re-live middle school homework and semester-long projects that get started the night before they are due.

11. Nothing holding me back from moving or switching jobs.

12. It’s easier to keep the home clean.

13. You don’t have to worry about the child being in the way when you really have those miserable days.

14. No loud, obnoxious, or spontaneous screeching or yelling.

15. No listening to Barney, or Teletubies, or whatever crap the kids are watching these days.

16. Having money.

17. Less stress and more freedom.

18. Never having to wipe someone’s ass.

19. More disposable income. No saving for school, school functions, kids sports.

20. Sleep.

21. For a female, not having to deal with the bodily changes that go along with being pregnant and giving birth is also a huge benefit.

22. Not having to interact with other parents just because your kids are the same age.

23. As a parent I would say the worry. When you become a parent you just worry all the time. Even when the kids are at the grandparents, you have your adult time, you still can’t relax. Maybe it’s cause my kids are small. I vaguely remember what it’s like to not have that feeling.

24. More opportunities to try new things, and a challenge to find yourself.

25. No worries about getting that call from the police station, finding their drug stash, wondering which rehab to send them to, etc.

26. Peace and quiet in the morning and having a clean house.

27. It sounds daft, but coming from a mother, going to the shop. Just going. No argument over shoes. No “get your coat on now I’ve told you 3 times”. No “but I don’t wanna go”. Just go. It’s amazing. I miss it.

28. None of your shit getting destroyed.

29. The best benefit is that my time is my own! I am not responsible for anyone but me and my pets.

30. You get to keep your life. And identity, especially for women. It seems like motherhood is literally measured by how much you sacrifice. And if your entire identity isn’t that of ‘mother,’ the mommy wars and judgment are unbearable, constant, and impossible.