Another Installment from the Regretful Moms

The "I Hate Being a Mom" thread on the Secret Confessions web site is still going strong.  Here are some choice recent posts. 

"I’m so glad I found this site! I’ve been sitting here so miserable and depressed hating my life. Did I mention I FEEL ALONE AND ISOLATED??? I felt so ashamed for the way I feel hating staying home with my kids (and resenting my kids). They whine, cry, mess up the house and I’m ready to throw them out the window lol Not really but I want some God Damed time to myself! I’m older and stupid me started over and ended up having a special needs kid, then another who is still on the boob at 2 years old. I’m tired of dealing with food allergies, special diets and a stupid husband who went out trying to find somebody else to **** behind my back! I wish I could do that cause boy am I sick of this life. I have no identity, no longer have work experience and HATE HATE HATE my life! I can’t wait until my grow the **** up and move out but by then, I will be old and washed up! It sucks going through menopause and raising little kids! THANK GOD FOR MENOPAUSE cause I NEVER EVER want another kid! Boy, that felt good to get out! Oh, and I NEVER GET A BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sick and ******* tired of staring at the same four walls 24/7/365 And my husband wonders why I’m so miserable!"
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"Yes I feel the same as you. Like completely knocked out and frazzled. I hate the feelings of most days having literally no strength and energy and feeling so weak. Other people just don’t seem to understand the feelings of fatigue and how bad it is. I try and see my Doctor, no matter who it is no help whatsoever. They don’t give you any medication to help. You feel bored and unfufilled, angry, snappy and irritable on a daily basis. Sometimes I just wish my life would end. It’s a never ending drag on your energy. I wish I could just piss off by myself to a Desert Island for a while but that’s not a choice due to never having any money. So you’re trapped in the cycle of poverty and that’s even with a partner who works full time for a living but gets zero to show for it after being taxed to death and working tax credits being reduced to a pitiful amount. His promotion actually did nothing to improve our finances, they’re worse despite apparently his salary going up. It’s a never ending beating for parents. I like this page you can rant away anonymously."
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"I hear ya sister, i hate motherhood too, and I can relate to most of what you write… Not sure what to do about it, but I end up spending time in the middle of the night for myself – (after being woken by my child at 3am which annoys the hell out of me) – and then of course the next day I’m tired as hell and I get more angry, and it’s just a never ending cycle…. I wish I would have never had a child and I feel so bad for saying it, but it’s the damn truth."
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"I feel the same way. After I got pregnant, I realized I didn’t want the baby. I promised the dad I would never abort his children, and I thought we could make it work. We are both miserable with this child. One reason we split up was so that we could at least have some time to ourselves and enjoy a full night’s sleep twice a week.


Just this morning, I thought about how I used to pray for a miscarriage. Now I just can’t wait to get her out of the house. I work 3 nights gladly so that I don’t have to go through the ordeal of getting this 3 year old to bed.


I feel terrible about feeling this way, and I realized there must be other people who feel the same. There is such a conspiracy of silence about this, so we all feel horrible about it. But I wish I could go back in time and keep my IUD in. I miss that life so much. I only hope it gets better as she gets older."
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"Say that again. I hate being a mom and most days I wish I would have never met my husband and never had kids. I hate even more that I had this awful desire to be married with kids. If I knew then what I know now I would have ran from any relationship with anything that looked like a man and been happy all by my damn self."
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"I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND!!!! I hate my life to. I just feel sad and mad all the time! I don’t want to be a mom or wife anymore. I am so annoyed always having to do shit for everyone else. Cook clean..clean some more..and more and more. It never ends. I feel like my kids destroyed my body! I hate my life soooo much I some times just don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like a zombie. DON’T HAVE KIDS!!! BAD IDEA"
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"I constantly feel that if only someone had told me the truth, I would have spared myself and my husband this miserable life, and could have spared two beautiful children this disgusting world."
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"Oh my God! Thank you all for this. I thought I was the only one. You can never say these things to anyone because they would look at you like a circus freak! I hate who I am, that I don’t enjoy anything anymore. I’m exhaused all the time. I’ve become a great actress and when people ask me how I am and don’t I just love being a mom, I say I’m fine and being a mom is great. HUGE lie!! I also love going to work. I don’t really love my job, I’m just so happy to get out of the house and away from my child and he can be someone elses problem until 5:00 rolls around. I know this sounds horrible to most people…"
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" I hate being a parent on almost every single level. I love my daughter and will do anything for her, but of course my wife and I were married for 6 years before she got pregnant (unplanned, of course)…and she was excited and I was a wreck, because my wife is 4 years younger than me, she thought of it still as all fun and games, while I knew what kind of unbearable hell I was in for.

I saw friends growing up become shadows of what they once were after their kids were born. Once happy people are now broken, miserable individuals who hate what their lives have become but put on a happy face to keep themselves from becoming pariahs.

The childless people used to be the pariahs, but of course once we had our daughter now all I see is news articles about how all these studies are saying that childless couples are happier and live longer…yeah, thanks for that.

Either way, I love my daughter and that will never change. I hate what my life has become and am willing to accept responsibility so my daughter doesn’t grow up like those neglected kids who turn out to be gangbangers and criminals because their parents never taught them otherwise and hated them enough to allow them to turn out that way.

And yes, we can be great parents and still hate what our lives have become. Having children is not rewarding in the least, and at best it is an inescapable prison. When she’s old enough, I can only hope that we hid our resentment well enough for her to be successful in life.

And our best piece of advice to her will be to get her tubes tied so she never has to experience the miserable existence of parenthood. Go out, enjoy life, and don’t get saddled by kids.

I won’t be unhappy to not be a grandparent…and I’ve already scheduled a vasectomy to ensure this travesty never happens a second time to my already intolerable life.

Am I living a lie by saying I’m a good parent but hating my existence..of course. I wanted to be a parent about as bad as I wanted to be a cancer patient, but it happened, and I’ll be damned if my daughter suffers because of my personal feelings.

One day when she’s old enough to understand, I’ll explain to her the absolute and concentrated horror that is parenthood."
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"I am the daughter of a mother who hated being a parent. All through our upbringing she told my brother and I not to have kids. It was very hurtful to hear because she was essentially saying she wished she’d never had us, and for a child this is hard to understand and even harder to forgive. Needless to say, my mother and I never had a good relationship. While she wasn’t a bad parent (we got everything we wanted, we never got hit, got good educations and so on) we hated her for telling us how much it sucks to have kids. As we got older we grew more and more distant while she grew fonder of us. Today, my mother struggles to keep a relationship with my brother and I, while we could give a crap about spending time with her. The child inside of us is basically saying “Hey you didn’t want us, so now you don’t have us.” This has not been easy for her; she’s lonely and regrets saying that to her children. Bottom line is she can never make up for the first 25 years of our lives where she told us having kids is a nightmare. Also, I’d like to say we are successful both financially and in our relationships.

The lesson is this: The kids you wish weren’t around today may grow up to be really cool adults who you’ll want to spend time with. Or whom you will look to for senior care or who you will look to for financial help. When that day comes, don’t be surprised if they are not around.

Good luck!"
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"I hear you. I’ve become a complete shadow of what I once was. Having a child has f**ked up my life on pretty much every conceivable level and I spend each day trying to work out how to endure this for another 17 years and hide my own despair so that my daughter never knows that my life effectively ended when I gave birth to her. And yes – what is it with people asking me if I plan to have another. I plan to hack my head off with a spoon before I’d let that happen…"
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“I am so sad! i got married, bought a house so next step have kids “right” well it was a mistake. My two children are here now. I brought them into this world and i will love them and take care of them. But every day I feel “stuck & Sad” I feel like life is just passing me by. no life, no real friens i can count on. just cooking, cleaning, bath time, dropping kids off of school, bring them to dance, karate, gymnastics. WOW! this is not what i wanted. What happened to me?"
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"I’m glad I found this and to know I’m not the only one. I have a 3 month old baby and I love him but motherhood has destroyed my life and my soul. I am an empty, dead shell of a person. My body is disgusting. I read all these things that say you have to make time for yourself, etc, but what’s the point of that? I would just have to come back. I know I put myself in this position and I have to do the best I can to survive each day. I put on my happy face with my son and I play with him, smile, cuddle, etc. It’s not his fault, he didn’t ask to be born and I will do everything I can to make sure he never knows how I really feel. I want him to have a happy childhood even if I am miserable. If I could have one wish it would be to go back in time before I got pregnant, knowing what I know now, and just choose not to do it. If you are trying to decide whether or not to have kids…DON’T."
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"Don’t you HATE how they cannot leave you alone for one single second? I am constantly running (no exaggeration) from one room to another just to get some shit done. This is why my house is in such disarray, because I cannot accomplish ANYTHING with them around. I feel like a circus clown who’s always setting them up with some stupid damn toy or tv show then RUNNING to the kitchen to try and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher before the twins run in there and ruin the whole pathetic effort. I HATE THIS. It’s not cute, it doesn’t make me giggle and say “oh well, some day I’ll look back on this and laugh” and I most certainly NEVER say thiis pathetic mind-numbing phrase that we’ve all been subjected to our whole lives: “but they’re worth it. It goes by so fast.”. BULL!!! They are not ‘worth it’ and each day is the longest day of my life."
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"This just in: i’m currently on a business trip, my spouse let me know that our almost 2 year old daughter is very feverish and sick. I am returning home tomorrow so let the fun times begin. Trip to the doctor, battle to give her the medicine, difficult nights of sleep, constant irritability, etc. Woo freakin hoo. And that’s not counting us probably getting sick too afterwards.

Ah the joys of being a parent. I know it’s not her fault, i don’t blame her. But i still have to do the parent thing and pretend that I’m cool, in control, and supportive .. When all i want to do is run and scream and get my life back.

There’s always something with young kids, always that pressure, that weight on my shoulders, whether it’s illness, or tantrums, or busy schedules, etc. I can no longer take this, this is unbearable and inhumane. I want to press “pause” on parenthood and unpause whenever I can take some more, then pause again. But I guess this is called single parent with shared custody .. Not sure that this is a better way to go.

Help"
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"As I sit here in my once overly adorned pillowed king size bed..rocking my 11 week old baby girl to sleep. I google “I love my daughter but hate being a mother” and poof here this pops up. To my amazement I am not alone. I truly thought I must of missed the “mom gene” cause honestly everyday as I care for my baby I day dream of the life I once lived. I sit at my shore house on the weekends and look out to my old tanning chairs that are screaming my name. But then I look down and see the distorted striped belly that jiggles with hatred. No…no laying out for me. :( or when all I want is to
Just shower with out rushing and can’t help but think…hmmm I use to take 2 hours to get dressed. I was once a beautiful well educated girl who had lots of friends and shiny fast car and a hand full of guys in a contact list to call o days when I felt ewwy! Now my day begins and somehow in only 1 short year I am a fat jiggly woman with no makeup wait no shower. What’s make up? Sigh….:( my once perfect body has abandoned me. Where did I go?? Somehow in the midst of it all I got lost?, or discarded?? I love my daughter she’s beautiful and she’s my soul but I use to love me I use to enjoy me. And the truth is I just miss me. God…one more dirty bottle to wash one more dirty diaper to change one more toilet to clean or dinner to cook…alil more of me just washes away. And to top it off I also now have 3 unruly annoying step children to care for. One year 4 kids. I just want a bottle of oil my old bikini body a pair of head phones and a us weekly magazine…put me on a beach in the peace and quiet and then I’ll smile. No one ever told me that the minute she was born that who I was would die? Parenthood is a sham. Yes we love our children. Would most of us go to the end of the earth for them? OF COURSE!! but at the end of the day that doesn’t change the fact that there is a dirty unshowered exhausted worn out sad resentful mother standing in her house crying inside for just one more taste of what life used to be…hmmmmm….gotta go the baby is crying…….. :("
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"You are right. It’s a sham and we have all been lied too, either out of malice/manipulation or just people being numb/dumb/brainwashed. But you know what? Our moms did not have the Internet at our age. They could have never googled anything, because there was no google. Just think how many women we are going to help with sites like these. I honestly feel it’s a major revolution that we are right in the middle of. We’re going to help so many people cope who’ve had kids they shouldn’t have, and we have the opportunity to speak HONESTLY with our kids some day and NEVER pressure them into having kids or giving us “grandchildren” – ugh!!!!! I get so angry when I think of how many women in my family who KNOW me could have saved me from this – but didn’t – or – “couldn’t” because they didn’t have the words or thought it was taboo. Let’s end that. Let’s be the LAST generation who let’s their kids be totally bamboozled. You can be totally in love with your kids, as I am, but hate your life and be in absolute MOURNING for everything that children take away (steal) from your lives."
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"i am SOOOOOOOOO glad that someone made this thread. Maybe it will save people who are thinking of having a baby from making the most horrendous mistake of their lives. i get disgusted because so many of my friends and family pressured me into having a baby, saying “oh just have a baby it will end all your problems!”. i am 25, I got married right after i finished college and started an amazing career….everyone was like “have a baby have a baby” including my mom and all of our older family members and friends. i wish i could go back in time and SLAP them in the faces. they didn’t tell me that my life would END. i love my daughter because she is a precious innocent being, so i do everything for her and treat her like a princess BUT…ME? there is no more “ME” when u have a baby…I haven’t slept in almost a year now, sufferng from severe dleep deprivation because of a “colicy” baby who is now almost 9 months and STILL wakes up every 2 hours!!!! i am exhausted with dark bags under my eyes and i NEVER get to spend time alone with my husband any more….forget about travelling together any more….and i never get to go ANYWHERE by myself any more….i used to enjoy running by the beach in the morning, going to the book store/coffee shop, reading, going to the beach after work with my hubby, going out for dinner dates or even for drinks on weekdays with friends or hubby….now its like we are in a PRSION! me and my hubby love each other so much but we are falling apart because we no longer can do anything TOGETHER if one of us wants to do something we have to take turns watching the crying baby!!!! i havent seen a movie or done ANYTHING in about 7 months….its all about this crying screaming spoiled baby… no matter what u do to make them happy u cannot! babies cannot do ANYTHING by themselves not even BREATHE, so u have to be catering to them every second of every day…and all i hear all day is this little brat crying her head off for no reason…i dance for her, play with her, take her for walks and drives, feed her all kinds of different good foods….its like im a 24 hour SLAVE…when she finally falls asleep its like THANK GOD..and then 1 hour later she is awake crying again!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! she’s over 20 lbs and i still have to carry her around all day and i actually tore my right bicep…OH and another thing, i hardly gained any weight during preganncy and so now that she’s 9 months i am even skinnier than my pre-pregnancy weight, so thats not my problem BUT i have developed these disgusting man arms with big nasty muscles from having to carry this needy baby everywhere every second!!! so now my body looks unprportional like someone who lifts weights obsessively. oh and another thing people dont tell u–its virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find childcare. i wanted to go back to work but the only childcare we could find for a baby under a year old is 1200 a month!!!!!! thats more than my college tuition was!!! having a baby was the most horrendously disgusting experience of my life and anyone who says otherwise is a LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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"don’t ever give in to the pressure! don’t let people tell you that it will answer your problems. society and our families try to mislead us to believe its some amazingly enlightening experience to have a kid when in reality all it is, is jlike having a 24-hour torturous job that you hate but are forced to do.
not ONE part of raising a baby is fun or rewarding. people will tell you its rewarding and worth it when you see your child grow, these people are in denial….yea sure, its rewarding until they start crying/screaming their head off at you like a maniac at 3 in the morning and nothing will get them to stop… and you haven’t slept in months and are so tird you could fall over! there are times when i almost fell down the stairs at 2 a.m. getting my daughter a bottle to try to get her back to sleep because i was so tired/over-worked/sleep deprived! THAT is the reality! the lies of society are just unbelievable! i won’t lie to anyone who askss me what its like to have a kid. i will tell everyone that i meet the pure truth. no one deserves to be lied to and misled!"
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"I didnt sign up for this. I envy my childless friends and wish I could go back and do it over – I would not have gone this route. I want to talk to a therapist. Everyday I am filled with regret, and I feel so bad that I take my anger and frustrations out on my daughter who does not deserves this at all. I just want to overcome this and feel normal again. I want to love doing this as so many other moms do. I want to cherish these moments and want us to be the best of friends. Not blame her for ruining my life.

I do know that I will never have any kids again and I feel bad for the next man who walks into my life wanting kids because it will never happen!"
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"I haven’t found a solution. I grab my moments of peace (and they are few and far between) when I can, and daydream of that day when my daughter MOVES OUT!!! And try very hard NOT to think about the fact that I will be in my mid-forties, if I’m still alive. I mean, I even dread the possibility of grandchildren, and having them thrust upon me in my later years. A stiff cocktail on my days off take the edge off a bit, and I am a bit more patient with my daughter and willing to look for the bright side in all of this, but it is a very temporary solution and not practical in the long run. I stay at work long enough to where I’m pretty sure by daughter has already been bathed, fed, and is in bed, and on those particular occasions when my husband is a little late with her nighttime routine and I walk in the house filthy, hot and exhausted and find her still running around with messy hair and stained clothes from a day of playing in the dirt it ruins my whole night and I’m sure the distaste and disappointment is evident on my face. I DREAD her birthday and Christmastime because of the hoops I am expected to jump through- I feel very uncomfortable around other parents and children and I know my daughter looks forward to parties and cake and friends and whatever, and I am loathe to disappoint her, but I literally have nightmares about these occassions and have anxiety attacks prior to any of these miserable events. And when she comes out of her room with a bratty, teary face after a nap and lays on my husband and he baby-talks to her and rubs her back it makes me want to PUKE. She has started to get into a habit of lying, and sometimes I relish the fact that she is misbehaving so I have an excuse to send her to her room. God, I feel awful about this, but how can we help how we FEEL??? Please, let me know if you or ANYONE has found a way to cope! I’m thinking maybe prescription medication??? But then I couldn’t do my job. I’m at a loss… I have basically conceded to the fact that I will be unhappy for most of the next 14 years. Unhappy, stressed out, and constantly JUDGED."

The Latest from the Regretful Moms

Here are some recent interesting posts from the moms posting on Secret Confessions on the "I Hate Being a Mom" page.  Hordes of moms continue to come forward to admit the horrors of motherhood.

"I hate being a mum too… I mean I love my son, whos 11 now, and I have made it this far.. But, Man, I have loathed all the bloody repetition of constant mess and house work. I hate that I cant go anywhere as I have to be back by 3 pm every day. I hate that Everything nice or new or cleaned, just gets trashed by kids lack of thinking about what theyre doing..I feel like im awaiting the end of a very long arduous jail sentence…And the worst part is… I hate feeling this way.. I want to be a happy mum.. i want to enjoy this journey more.. but the reality of the closed in- ness of this lifestyle, is there to smack you in the face daily, no matter how much positive thinking and books I read on re-training your thoughts.. AARRGGHH, Then its all followed by Guilt.. Yay… Lovely and blissful isn’t it.."
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"Thank you for your interest and question. You are right, if you do not have children, you can not even begin to understand the love/hate, and how horrible and guilty we moms feel as we do this…and how much we want to/try to enjoy motherhood. But it is so overwhelming and exhausting, non-stop work and sacrifice every single day! (many times all day long, every single day!)


Do I love my children and that is why I sacrifice all I have and everything that I am for them? = Yes.


If I could go back in time and “do it all over again” and NOT have kids would I do that? = Yes.


I really think that part of this oxymoron is only primitive, animal-like survival instict…like a mother bear attacking anyone that is near her cubs.


I think that pull/drive to have children, or that “ticking biological clock”, is only survival instict too."
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"Undecided-


You have so much insight and are exactly right about so many things! All the concerns you have are 100% valid and real. It seems like you may have already answered your own question.


I can’t believe there is still such pressure to have kids! Is is 2011 or are we suck in 1950? You can not control those who are critical or judgemental of your childfree life. Do you want to let their negative words or opinions of you affect your life? (especially on such a major, life-altering decision?) Other people have referenced happilychildfree.com as a good source of info.


And you, like many women,….are concerned about “missing out” on something by not having kids. But, are you as concerned about all you will miss out on by having them???


I was concerned about missing out too, but now that I have kids, I am the one who is totally missing out on life!!


I am missing out on little things like: sleep, regular showers, eating a meal in peace while actually sitting down, NOT tripping over toys, wearing a clean shirt for a whole hour with no drool or food on it….


I am missing out on big things like: my freedom, my independence, quality and quantity time with my husband, tons of money, my career (you are right, the woman’s life is changed so much more), my body, my social life…


I used to have hobbies, interests, workout several time per week and be full of energy, volunteer, read and be aware of current events, travel and experience new places/cultures, be good at my job…now ALL of those are GONE…ALL GONE!


The toll on a woman’s body is huge! I have been dealing with pain, incontinence and sexual problems for over 2 years! I had so much damage from the birth process (just a large baby who forcefully ripped my flesh and pelvis apart). I am an average-size person who is in good health and of appropriate weight-just bad luck/physics. I have been to doctors, specialists, a chiropracter, tried drugs and alternative medicines. All have helped a little, but I just want to be pain-free, be able to hold my pee, enjoy sex with my husband again. When women say how horrible the recovery from a c-section is, I tell my story. Do they have problems like I do? do they have any probelms for years and years due to their c-section? Pregnancy and birth are HORRIBLE!


In addition, there is no guarantee that anyone will have a healthy pregnancy, a “normal” baby, or fully recover your body from pregnancy & birth. It is a huge gamble…you throw the dice and you are stuck with whatever you get. You said your heart condition *probably* will not be a problem, but it certainly will not help your chances of everything going well for you and a baby, can it?? Have you told the people who question/judge your childfree life, that you have this heart condition and it could be a big problem for you during pregnancy and birth?


I sincerly hope that YOU make the decisions for YOUR life that are right for YOU!!! May you ignore and deflect all questioning or criticizm of your life choices. May you have much peace about your decisions! :)"
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"Wow, have just discovered this website and just reading that other people feel the same is a huge comfort. I am so sorry especially for the mums with the children with special needs or those that are ill – I can only feel for you as you have so much additionally work on top of everything that others/me are coping with. Also, I think it’s important to say that we all love our children very much I am sure but I really do think being married and having kids is a HUGE MYTH!!!! I can’t believe that as little girls this is what most of us head towards full of excitement and joy. Although I love my children very much, the happiest times of my life were spent with my husband alone….I had a good job, a great social life and a nice tidy house! And the biggest thing I miss is just doing my own thing…..sleeping in until late, going out until late, going for country walks and stopping by a pub for lunch, going to the cinema if i wanted and staying out for a pizza….and the holidays,,,,sleeping by the pool and reading books……all of these things I miss so much and wish had I known what real life was like with kids. I wish I had waited until I was in my late 30′s to start having babies…maybe I wouldn’t feel so resentful then???


I have three young boys and life is just one wheel of exhaustion and routine. The endless round of domestic chores – feeding, washing and clearing up just never ever ends. I literally feel like I spend my whole life doing it. In an effort to retain my mental health I got myself a p/t job…..it’s been amazing but also has increased my stress levels no end….I end up doing the domestic chores after doing a p/t job that used to be done by a full-time person and often I don’t get to bed until midnight as I also take work home with me as there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it when the house is quiet but oh the irony as more often than not some one wakes at 11pm crying so I never get it done….it’s those moments that I really think I am going mad…..being a mother is a 24hrs a day, 7 days a week job…..it’s like being on call all of the time. I miss my old life so much. I look in the mirror and see how much I have aged, I am tired and exhausted all the time and am eating badly just to get me through each day…..I’ve had some really terrible thoughts like walking out of the door and never coming back but I think the guilt would kill me, so the next best option would be to end my own life…..but I’m such a coward I would never really do it…..I just ‘dream’ of being able to sleep and not wake up to a messy house and people fighting. I read about a lawyer a few months ago, who had just returned to work after her third daughter and she threw herself over into the Thames river in London. All I could think was how sad for her family but I did understand ‘why’ she did it. She must have felt so over whelmed with it all….a job, three young kids, a husband, a house to run…..I understand her.


I have thought about going to the doctors to get some some medication to help me….I really want to enjoy this stage of my life but I can’t I hate it.


My anxiety is also getting really bad. I feel shaky and sick when I’m out with them all…..people running everywhere, screaming and shouting, I hate it. I literally panic and want to burst into tears, fall to the floor and have someone take care of ME for a while. I wonder if anyone here has started taking antidepresants??? Please share. I worry about taking them though as when I’m not with the children i.e out or at work, I feel fine so do I really want to go down that road???


I hope our situation improves for us all. I think when the children are older life will get easier so it’s a case of hanging on and waiting. I just feel so sorry for my kids too. I’m a crap mother and I wish I could be happy for them and my husband.


xxxx"
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"I wasn’t sure if I wanted children either. Until my fiance and I were faced with pregnancy. I too was surrounded by what appeared to be very happy parents and often heard “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me” or “I don’t know where I would be without my son or daughter”. With all the hype I was pretty excited about my baby! Well, my excitement was short lived when I realized what a pain in the ass they are. It wasn’t the sweet serene images I had of my daughter and I sitting on a couch telling stories, loving and respecting each other. Or the glorified stories told by other parents about their children. How naive I was.I could have been in college right now. My life is so unproductive now. The only thing I’ve done so far is reproduce! I haven’t had the time or money to finish my own college education and now I have to start saving for someone else’s. I don’t own a home and can’t afford to on my crappy salary. My savings isn’t very impressive and I can’t go out and do many of the things I love until my daughter is old enough to come too. Having a daughter taught me a lot about myself I don’t like. More important it taught me to never do this again! The not so good things I’ve learned about myself as a parent along the way that 85% of moms can appreciate:


cooking for a picky eater sucks and I refuse to


cook more for someone who’s just being ridiculous in the first place,


I am not humble,


What is dignity?,


I am NOT a morning person,


I want to be truly appreciated for what I do and that is something a child will never do (willingly),


I don’t want to share and have to hide to eat anything,


if I hear “MOM…?” One more time I might run away,


I need time-outs too!,


If she is a reflection of us as her parents, so far, we are screwed!,


I wish I had gotten a dog instead because they cause LESS damage to your personal property and social services won’t show up if it trips down the stairs,


But most of all… THERE IS NO ESCAPE!


LOL! Seriously, my daughter is 6 and although I would do anything for her, if I had known how much skill it required to be a mom, I wouldn’t have done it. Just plain honesty. I’m not a natural at this! Please don’t tell us how awful we are, not everyone was meant to be a mom and I’ll be willing to bet that those who weren’t and do have children thought they would have been! You just never know until you take the leap. This is a safe place to vent without damaging anyone. I’d recommend a dog."
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"I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF THREE ADULT CHILDREN. UNTIL THE LAST YEAR OR TWO I LOVED BEING A MOTHER. WE HAD LOTS OF FUN TOGETHER, DID EVERYTHING TOGETHER. I DID ATTEMPT TO RAISE MY CHILDREN TO BE INDEPENDENT. NOW MY OLDEST HAS COMPLETED COLLEGE, HAS A FULL TIME JOB, WHICH SHE GOT THREE DAYS POST GRADUATION, AND HAS MOVED BACK HOME AFTER BEING ON CAMPUS FOR FOUR YEARS. SHE HAS YET TO CONTRIBUTE ONE DIME TO MY HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES BUT EVERY WEEK SHE HAS HER GROCERY LIST READY FOR MY SHOPPING TRIP. IT’S DARN NEAR IMPOSIBLE TO SAY ANYTHING TO HER BCUZ SHE TAKES EVERYTHING SO SERIOUSLY. I HAD TO TELL HER TO DO SOME CHORES AROUND THE HOUSE BCUZ SHE WILL DO NOTHING. I FEEL LIKE MY KIDS R GROWN AND THIS IS SOMETHING I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO. I FEEL LIKE IF U SEE SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE DO IT. MY YOUNGEST WHO IS ALSO GROWN STILL LIVES AT HOME, GOES TO COLLEGE FULL TIME. I UNDERSTAND SHE IS USE TO HAVING THE HOUSE TO HERSELF, BUT NOW MY OLDEST DAUGHTER IS HOME AND EVERYTHING IS A FIGHT. AND I DO MEAN EVERYTHING. MY THIRD CHILD MOVED OUT TWO YEARS AGO, RECONNECTED WITH HIS DAD AND I HAVEN’T SEEN OR SPOKE TO HIM IN ABOUT THAT LONG. HE HAS POSTED ON THE INTERNET THAT I AM A LIAR WHO KEPT HIM FROM HIS FATHER ALL THESE YEARS. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. I’M JUST HOPING THAT SOMEDAY SOON HE WILL START TO SPEAK TO ME AGAIN. MY CHILDREN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE CENTER OF MY LIFE.ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAID TO ME WHEN ME CHILDREN WHERE YOUNGER, IF SHE EVER HIT THE LOTTERY SHE WOULD GIVE ME A MILLION DOLLARS BCUZ I WORK SO HARD AT ATTEMPTING TO RAISE MY KIDS RIGHT. NOTHING AND/OR NOONE CAME BEFORE THEM. I AWAYS LOOK OUT FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THEIR BEST INTEREST. I NEVER RAISED THEM EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN, BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME I NEVER, EVER EXPECTED THIS. IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN I WOULD NEVER HAVE CHILDREN."
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"my kids are 7 & 8 and i have nothing of my own. my daughter takes things of mine and whenever i go to find a hair brush, or sunglasses or even tweezers, they are gone. there is no privacy whatsoever. i can’t go to the bathroom without being interrupted.


i can never speak to anyone in my house because apparently i don’t have anything interesting enough to say, so i am constantly interrupted. i don’t talk to my kids or my husband anymore, outside of the day to day BS. i’m tired and i’m so sorry i ever got myself into this. because the kids were born so close together i now have an autoimmune disease that i will have for the rest of my life. i’m sick all the time and no one can help me.


i had the greatest life anyone could wish for before the kids. i had my own business and people were lined up at the door throwing money at me hand over fist. my dh and i vacationed at least four times a year and could do whatever we wanted, when we wanted. i was happy …we were happy. and now everything we do is for them. i try to raise them well, giving them love and respect and even a fun time. and last night while at dinner i asked my oldest not to interrupt me while i’m speaking and he turns and says to me, “i hate you.”


well. i don’t hate him. i love him and i love my family but i really hate the choice i made. this is the biggest mistake i’ve ever made for myself. growing up my family had nothing and i made myself into something and everything has been taken from me.


if you don’t have kids and are thinking about it. don’t do it. just don’t even go there."
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"I really understand what you are saying – I stuggled for a long time with the decision of having kids and was afraid of making the “wrong” choice. I wish I had heard the piece of wisdom, posted by someone else on this site (i think her name was “g”?) She said something like – if you are so undecided, or go back and forth on it, then you probably really do not want to have kids. I totally agree with this and wish I could go back in time and tell it myself before having kids!!


Parenting takes 110% of you (physically, emotionally, mentally, financially…) so you have to really want it with 110% of yourself.


Also, I really think that much of the pull/drive/interest in having children is simply primitive survival instinct. It is the desire/need to reproduce, or to care for the young of our species, that all other living things have. I suggest that you, listen to your own brain and what you know is right for you and your husband. Do NOT let your hormones/”mother nature”/ticking “biological clock” make your decisions for you.


And you are right about pregnancy, birth, and the first 5 years, all are horrible. I find that many of the frustrated moms posting here and on other sites have small, needy, messy kids (like mine, ages 2 and 4). Some people say “it gets better” when they get older and more independent. However there are some moms who are at the end of their rope with thier older kids….some people say “little kids=little problems, but big kids=big problems”. While I am looking forward to my kids being older (and, for example, being done with diapers and butt-wiping), I am concerned about what stage comes next. Parens of teenagers are so often complaining about how their teens are driving them crazy! (Again, they are just in a physically, hormonally, nerologically changing time, and it sucks to parent a physiological storm.)


One final note on decisions (and this may not apply to you at all). I am a person who makes decisions carefully, thoughtfully, weighing the pros & cons. I know that if we had chosen to not have kids, I would have always wondered if it was the right decision, wondered if I would regret not having them, even though we would have continued to be very happy and enjoing life without them. But, now that we have kids, I KNOW that we made the wrong decision, for us.


I sincerely hope that you find peace in whichever path you choose and much happiness."
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"Yes, I think it helps me to “get it out”, as well as see how many other moms feel this way and know that I am not crazy. The only crazy thing I did was believe the LIES about the “bundle of joy” and how wonderfully fullfilling parenting is, hard work and all!


The crazy people are those who put any pressure, judgement, or look down on women who are child-free by choice. You are right, where can we turn? Where can we say I hate being a mom, or even, I wish I never had kids?? I too already feel guilty about the crappy job I am doing as a mom – I do not need criticizm from anyone else.


Now I feel so strongly about doing what I can to be honest about how much this whole motherhood thing sucks. What also helps me is to see that some other women have commented on how this site, and honesty from moms, has confirmed their choice to NOT have kids. I am truly happy for them, happy that they are free to do something productive with their lives… even though it does not directly get me out of my daily hell.


Any little thing helps me feel a tiny bit better, albeit anonymously online, helps me get through another day. Hope it helped you too."
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If you'd like to read more from regretful parents, click here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Fact or Fiction: A person who chooses not to have kids will regret their decision but a person who chooses to have kids will never regret having them.

Fiction.

Are there childfree people who grow to regret their decision? Probably, although I have yet to meet any. Are there parents who regret having kids? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is yes and because of the anonymity afforded by the internet, they are now coming out in droves to admit it and provide a support system for each other.

If you do a blog search for "I hate being a mom", you may pull up this blog in your search (thanks Evgenia for the link). This blogger posted an honest article lamenting the loss of freedom, the loss of sleep, the never-ending aggravation and fighting...the list goes on. What's more interesting than her post are the comments posted by other moms, thanking her for her honesty and adding a big "me too!" Some of these moms go as far as to state they regret having kids and wish they never gave up their childfree life. Here is a sample of some of the comments.

"I also used to be organized, focused, driven, and put together. Now, I'm on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I can hardly find time to brush my teeth. I'm disgusting and disgusted at what I have become. This isn't at all what I expected. I'm not enjoying it as much as everyone told me I would. Maybe it changes, but for now I feel really miserable and riddled with guilt for feeling this way because I do love my baby. Each day I find myself saying "God , I'm terrible at this. Why can't I get anything right with this child? Why can't I satisfy this child?" Maybe I just wasn't meant to be a mother. Maybe my previous two miscarriages were messages that I shouldn't have children."

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"It's not everyday that I hate being a mother. Just most days. I realize that I did this to myself and I have to "do my time". But this is overwhelming sometimes. I feel so held back, stressed out, irritated and depressed by this whole thing. I am literally counting down the days until she leaves to go to college. 2,800 days. I feel like a person in prison. But I just want my life back. I feel wrong in a way but I really just want to be free."
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"I'm a 27 year old mother of two, ages 10 months and 23 months. Most of the time I walk around in a daze, hoping people don't notice the snot wiped on my coat or the bags under my eyes. I feel ancient, decrepit, what's worse is that my husband is successful and interesting. I had ambition once to write and be taken seriously, but now I'm just useless. I have a college degree, but can't even imagine now how I would go about writing an essay, how to engage in a conversation about anything other than poop and teething.

I hate my body and I hate what I've become. I too live far from family and friends as we've relocated for my husband's career. I've no babysitter, no relatives, no one to talk to but my children who can't speak yet. I don't see any way out of this gilded cage of a life. Today, and most days, I hate being a mother... we're treated worse than animals. What will become of us?"
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"I am almost always grumpy. Sometimes I close my eyes and wish that this were not my life. Often I feel like I want to run away. I get the feeling that some of my child free friends pity me. Some envy me... but I feel like taking them aside and telling them 'Don't have kids! Your life will be over!"
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" Wow. Like several others who posted I googled, "I hate being a mother" and stumbled upon your blog. I feel soooo much comfort and relief hearing you all's stories. I'm a 24 year old single mother to a 2-month old and so far I hate every minute of it. I am sooo beyond depressed and feel like I am going to have a break down at any minute.

I cry everyday and my stomach is always knotted from worrying. I never in a million years imagined my life would be like this. I am a college graduate. Words can't express how much I miss my old life and wish I could go back in time. I feel like a failure and am embarassed of what I have become...a stereotype. I pray everyday for it to get better because it just seems to be getting worse. Thank you so much for this blog."
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"I am relieved to have found this.I have a 10 month old daughter I have a hard time even looking at these days.I love her but I have to say I wish I had never had a baby.I am severely depressed my doctor has me on 6 different medications and I don't think they are working.I am also pregnant again with a boy that is due in 4 months and I am just sad about it.My husband works out of town 2 weeks out of the month and does not understand what I am going through.I didn't know motherhood would be like this.I miss my old life and am not adjusting to this new one.I love her I want to be a good mom but I am crying all the time and have anxiety through the roof all day about taking care of her.It's only going to get worse when the new baby comes.We did 5 years fertility treaments to have my daughter and then wham got pregnant on our own with this one so I should love her right?I don't think motherhood is for me but what else is there? I hate that I feel this way I wish I was the mom who gets up in the mornings makes breakfast with a smile and takes care of everything but I'm not.I am just lost these days."
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"if i ever were to even get preg again i dont care about what i beleive in but i wouldnt go through with it becuz im sure ill end up dead. sometimes i wonder why i even thought i could do this in the first place... damn mother made it seem as if it could be done! "if i could raise 4 kids 1 is nothing" what a bunch of lies! she just wanted a grandchild."
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"I never wanted children in the first place, and now because I decided to have a child instead of the alternative, I feel as if I'm being punished more and more each day.

I want to get as far away from this house, the child and my husband as I can.

I want to scream and cry and stomp and turn over the couch.

Instead, I'll just be thankful I am not alone."
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"For the past 2 years since the birth of my first and only child I have been in a constant state of depression. I do believe that I was never meant to have children and that it's a great tragedy that I realized it too late. I love my son. I do. Unfortunately that doesnt stop me from wishing on a daily basis that I could go back and undo the last 2 years or so of my life. I hate being a mom. I loathe being a mom. I hate that i can't take a shower when I want. That i can't go out with my friends when I want. That going shopping is a mission that sucks the life right out of me. I hate that he screams about everything. I hate that he destroys everything I try to achieve. I had almost found an outlet of sorts for myself by going to the gym 5 days a week and leaving him in the kids club there. He managed to take that from me as well because he can't be civil around other children evidently. I have nothing now except for the endless days of screaming and crying while I watch my life waste away. I know it was my choice to have a kid but despite everything I have tried to make him happy I have failed at every turn. Motherhood has been the worst experience of my life and I can't do anything about it. There has not been one day since he was born that i thought "wow this is awesome. I am so happy your my son.". Everyday is misserable and I can't wait until its over. I was beautiful and skinny once and no matter how hard I try I will never have that back either. The worst part is that i love him enough to feel guilty for feeling this way so that overlaps everything else and it's a viscious cyle of regret. My husband wants another one and I can't bring myself to tell him 'no'. The thought of having this feeling doubled is enough to make me want to pitch myself off of the balcony. I feel genuine sorrow for other people about to have baby's because there is nothing enjoyable about it. It will take everything from you. Everything you loved about life and enjoyed will be gone. Thats what I think when I look at expecting mothers."
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"I feel the way most of you have expressed....I'm just so incredibly depressed...I can't stand my life..I'm a single mother of a 2 12 year old..I am on benefits and I live with my parents.My life's a mess,my clothes are in a pile,I'm over weight,spend excessively to compensate for my misery which in turn leaves us broke the following week.Ive just started Uni doing a bachelors degree-but Do you think I can get any work done..NO I can't Im so consumed with self hate and worthlessness.I never thought I would end up like this..fat ugly alone with a child.She constantly shouts-and tells the whole family to SHUT UP -I never say this to her EVER...she doesn't listen to a thing I say,doesn't respond to any punishment at all....I just want to run away and leaver this fkn life behind,,but My conscience won't let me..No one gets it Except for you guys) My mother doesn't understand the feeling I have-I'm so afraid to be alone and NOW she has decided they might move so Ill be left alone ,,,I'm so intelligent when it comes to being positive,reading,self help..YES i know all that but it doesn't fucking help...I used to be so different..I feel I have lost all Love -Im just numb to everything-I don't have any passion at all left in my body...And yet I feel so guilty as there are people going through way worse...If I knew it was going to be this hard I wouldn't have gone there..He begged me to have an abortion,Men have it so easy,,no attachment at all..OH the joys of being a MAN..fuck this."
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"I'm going to talk to my doctor today and see if there's anything wrong with me. Because I'm sad every day, stressed every day, anxious everyday and dare I say scared. When I hit my breaking point I have had thoughts of harm, and I never used to be like this!! I hate it, hate it so much. I love my son to death, and get cuteness overload from him on good days, but it's just not enough to make me love this "job"

I want to feel normal, happy and healthy, and I want to like who I am inside and out. Maybe I never should have gotten into this, sometimes I think maybe this life of a mother wasn't meant for me?"
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Having read all these comments, I decided to do a little more searching on the internet and within seconds found many, many more regretful parents complaining bitterly about their lives and wishing they never had kids.

"I wish I had never had children, it ruined my health immediately and my sanity eventually, and my finances continuously. My child tore up and destroyed my belongings and ruined my relationships. My mother was ever-present and if I had never had children I could have escaped her grasping possessive control many many years ago. My son now lives over three hours away and has recently married, much to my great relief because now he has someone else with which to converse besides me, as I am not particularly interested in anything he has to say. My new daughter-in-law is a sweet girl and I pray they stay together forever, because if he is busy doing things with HER, he won't bother ME. I was trapped in suburbia for many years, while I yearned to live in the city, close to my job, because it was deemed 'safer' to raise children in the suburbs, than in the city. I regret so many, many years and opportunities taken from me, all because I "wanted" a child. Well - be careful what you wish for, because when you get it, it will never, ever, ever, ever go away and leave you alone to sip wine and read a good book uninterrupted, in fact you will not even be able to have good sex whenever you want, because "the children might hear". It's absolutely ridiculous, the way they suck the life right out of you. I am more fortunate than some, however. I only had one, and I had him early in life, so that when I was (legally) able to throw him out of the house and reclaim my life, there was still enough "life" left in me to actually enjoy myself for awhile, before old age and ill health and fixed income becomes problematic. The ones with two, three, even FOUR children? They will never again see the light of day. Their sentence is long and their life is over. At least, that's the way it looks to ME." ______________________________________________

" I never tell [my 3 kids] that everyday I feel like a light is going out and I miss me. I am soooo tired and depressed all the time. Oh yes but I smile and bid my jail sentence. Take my kids to all their activities tell them that they are precious, beautiful, and they are my little miracles. So at least they are happy right. I never tell anyone and I lie about the joys of motherhood just like I'm supposed. I cry everyday alone in silence. They do ballet,swim classes, I teach them they go to school and etc. Everybody points out how beautiful and wonderful they are and blah, blah, blah. If I could caution any young women who is not sure I would. I wouldn't want to give my sorry existence to my worst enemy."

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"I have 2 kids. I am so sick of everyone saying how precious this time is and how they grow up so fast. I feel that they can't grow up fast enough. I also have thought that other moms must be lying or fooling themselves when they say that parenthood is the best thing. I am uncomfortable talking with other parents because I am not good at lying or being fake and feel that it is obvious how much I hate being a mom. I also love my husband and long for the good old days when it was just the two of us, independent, free, and enjoying eachother. Now we have such a practical/functional relationship...just getting this one fed, this diaper changed, this one to the doctor..... What were we thinking? Why did we believe all the crap about babies being a "bundle of joy"? I agree with the above post on motherhood being a chore, no real joy in it. I keep them fed, cared for, and even try to do fun things with them, like go to the park or library. But, all the while I am out with them, I am wishing I could be doing one friggin thing that I want to do. I am so sick of the stupid kids section of the library..I want to take a nice walk through the park, not push a stupid swing 50 times. I have never felt so trapped, hopeless, unhappy (even when I was in a horrible work situation and got laid off). I feel hopeless because this situation is not going to change for a long time...I am not going to wake up tomorrow and my kids will be 18 years old no longer my responsibility. I wish I had heard from people like those on this site, or anyone else regretting children, before having them. Now, all I can do is be brutally honest about how much having kids really sucks, if anyone wants to hear my perspective...perhaps someone else will make a better choice for themselves."

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"I have totally ruined my life. I love my daughter so much, but can't handle her illness any more. I have given up my life to look after her - she is 24, and has been sick now for eighteen years. Doctors have given me no answers, and no one knows what to do for her. She continues to be sick or get worse, no matter what we do. It is wearing me down, and I am depressed and crying all the time. My life is gone. I have no life. I have to watch her suffer each and every day, with no hope of a normal life. If only I had never had her, I could have a normal life and really enjoy each and every day, not endure total despair. I don't even want to wake up in the morning, as there is nothing to look forward to. This is not her fault - she did not ask for this illness. But I still wish I never considered having kids - my life is totally ruined."

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"I spent my youth raising my 3 children. I have driven so many miles to soccer and basketball and football and cheerleading and plays and on and on. I volunteered at the school. I was a brownie troop leader. I read to my kids and made sure they got their shots and visits to the dentist. I took them to church and participated in their lives. They are all in their 40's. I live alone. I have not seen my kids in over 3 years. Two of them live on the opposite side of the country. My daughter has not visited me in over 10 years. If I call her I get voice mail and she may call back and she may not. My youngest got drunk and screamed at me (he's 41) and now does not speak to me. My oldest is the only one with children. He can take them to Germany and Spain and France and Chili and Disneyworld but he has not brought them to see me in 5 years. I have spent the last 15 Christmases, Thanksgivings and birthdays alone. The only time I have felt welcome at his home was when my first grandchild was born. My grandchildren are young teens and I have seen them 6 times. I am older and alone. I live on a fixed income and am not in good health and no one has my back. If I had not had children, I would have had a life and made provisions for being alone in my old age. Now, all I have to look forward to is death. And I will probably be dead days before anyone notices. Maybe if I don't show up for church two Sundays in a row someone might question."

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"I unfortunately love my children but absolutely regret ever having them! Like my headline says, How Can I Feel This Way??? Now not only do I regret it, I have come to the point I don't like kids at all! I know I shouldn't feel this way and just don't know how to get over feeling this way when I mourn over my very broken family all of the time and breaks my heart to be in such a lonely and and difficult situation."
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" I got pregnant and had the baby against my better judgement. I was depressed and continued to be depressed (fell deeper into it) and thought I'd make a terrible mom. Sure I'm responsible enough to take good care of my kids (2) but there is no joy in it. I really don't enjoy spending time with them. I feed and clothe them, teach them and keep them safe, and try to make them happy but I'm not happy. I wish so badly I hadn't had kids. I think my kids could do much worse, but they could do much better too. I wish I could be single again and not have kids so I could just get a divorce once and for all and be free. I hate this feeling, I feel guilty all the time. I wish I felt like a mother should but even though I love them, I think they would be better off not having me as a mother.

I am only posting this story because it is SO taboo and I hope someone reading it and can relate to it might not feel so alone. "
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"I wish I had reconsidered having kids. I love my kids dearly but miss being me. My husband has happily lumped me into the identity of "wifenkids". Romance is gone. I HATE it. HATE IT HATE IT. There's my childhood tantrum. My entire 20s have been occupied as someone's "mom" and "wife". I don't feel fun and sexy and free and I miss those things. Love my kids but they deserved better as a mom and I deserved to be happy. It just is a bummer for everyone. I resent my husband a lot since he has the sexist idea that all women LIVE for motherhood. "
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"I regret my decision to have a child as well. My daughter is beautiful and lovable. It is not her at all. I just hate my life. I hate the loss of freedom. I am completely bored by the kiddie playgroups, parties and just the repetitiveness of it all. I miss my job and I feel like a prisoner of my house. I resent my husband even though I agreed to have a child, I was only about 50% for the idea. I guess I was afraid I was missing out on an important part of life. I wish there was something I could do to create some enthusiasm because motherhood is going to be my main role for a very long time."
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"Hmm...I don't know if having kids was the right thing to do. I love my kids and am proud of each of them. However, since I raised all 4 of them on my own...without family, friends, or any help from my ex-husband...I am the one that is LEFT ALL ALONE. I deliberately centered all of my work and activities around the kids...and wanted to be the best mom that i could be...in spite of our circumstances. I bought a house, went to work, cleaned the house and spent every night at home with my kids...cooking and doing homework with them. I rarely went out with friends, with the exception of outings with other mothers with their own brood.

Each child has grown into a well adjusted and accomplished person. However, what do I get in return? NOTHING! My daughters rarely call, my sons keep advising me to move to a warmer climate nearer my brothers...and hardly ever make time for even a 10 minute phone call to me. Sometimes, I lay in bed at night...alone, without a lover/husband/boyfriend...and am glad that the kids are doing well...but it was all at a great price. What price? For me its, financial struggles, low pension benefits, and a broken down body to match. If only my KIDS would take a bit of time out to visit with me...it might have been worth it. Unfortunately, they take me for granted and always assume that since I was so independent while raising them...that they don't need to take time out to be with me. I don't want that much time...just a bit of consideration!

I have friends, and a job. This is the reality of having kids sometimes. Its worthwhile for your kids...but not so much for the mother!"
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"I sympathize with everyone here. It is a terrible terrible realization to have that while you love you kids you hate, hate, hate, HATE, the role of being a parent. I wish I had never had kids. The loss of freedom is tough, but many here have said it really well: it is the loss of yourself that burns your soul to ashes."

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"All you childfree ladies if your man wants a kid run a mile as they are definetly not worth it!!!"
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"Not all of us were aware of the negatives as society as a whole makes motherhood seem like the only valuable rewarding job on earth!!!! If all the crap was actually shown how it is people would be more aware of how it actually changes your life!!!! It's the dirtiest least rewarding job of all. I love my daughter but I certainly don't find my role rewarding like it is meant to be according to society. Now she is 7 I just can't wait till she is in her 20's and old enough to look after herself, and she herself doesn't like babies and she hates playing with baby dolls so I hope she grows up not having children as I do not want to be a grandma ever!!!! "
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"I too, wish I did not have a child. My infant daughter sucks the life out of me. Every day, I long to go back to the way my life was pre-baby. I traveled around the world, dined out in peace several times a week with my husband, and was all-around happy with my life. Now, my day consists of changing poopy diapers, washing bottles, feedings, getting throwed up on and screaming sessions. Then, this same routine just repeats, day after day. I don't travel anymore. When my husband and I go out to eat, it ends up being a nightmare and not worth the effort. I miss being able to hop in the car and see a movie with the hubby and staying out late enjoying ourselves. I am now a shell of the person I once was. I am not happy at all. I don't have any love for my daughter and I don't enjoy spending time with her AT ALL. And actually, I don't think she enjoys being with me the slightest, either. She completely annoys me, and I count down the moments until my husband gets home so I can pawn her off on him and get a break. I am lucky to have 20 minutes to myself to sit down and eat something, and relax. Some days I wish I could just adopt her out to someone who would love her, but I have too much pressure on me from family to keep her. My marriage is declining and the relationship with my husband has gotten much worse since the baby was born. I truly just despise the kid. She has ruined my happy life. If I would have known what my life would turn into after having her, I would have NEVER, EVER, EVER had children. Believe me, I will NOT have another one! I just wish I could turn back the hands of time and never had a child to begin with...."
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"I wish I had never had kids. I was always getting "pressured" about when I was going to have a kid. Oh they are so much fun they say, and you will be so excited when the baby comes along. Bull. All I can tell people is mind your own freaking business. I envy my friends who are still single at 25 and have no kids or for that matter are not even married. My daughter is 9 months old and the biggest headache I have ever had. I got married at 19, big mistake, and now I have a child. There is nothing romantic about the notion of being a mom. You basically do everything for that child and have no freaking time for yourself. My sister who is 18 wants to get married to her boyfriend and I am trying to deter her from getting married so young and wait until she is the minimum age of 30. Why didn't anyone warn me?Why couldn't the older women stop with the illusion that being married and being a mom is the greatest thing on earth? If you do not have kids and you are reading this then I urge you to really think about the decision because it is a lifelong commitment and it is a lot of hard work. Most moms would say oh it is wonderful because you get such joy out of it. I don't!! It is a lie, lie, lie . .don't ever let anyone put pressure on you to have a child . .if they do tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine . .it is your life and you live it the way you want to. I am being honest and I am not going to lie about it . .I know now that I will never ever have another kid."
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"I agree with a previous poster that society leads you to believe that having children is the most wonderful thing in the world. I love my kids (most of the time), but if I knew then what I know now, I would have gotten a puppy!"
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i'll try to be more logical, so others get something out of this rather than my raving. since i was 14 i said i didn't want children. my husband accepted that, but i still knew he would like them if possible. then my brother died when i was in my late thirties. he'd had 4 kids (mad). it made me wonder what i'd regret if i died early.

I soul-searched a lot and decided that, later in life, i might regret not having children . what a ridiculous thing. i asked myself 'might i regret not having children' and answered 'yes'. i didn't ask myself if i wanted them!! I ASKED THE WRONG QUESTION. my stupidity now seems unfathomable. if only i'd read this website, or susan jeffer's book 'freeing ourselves from the mad myths of parenthood' (sometimes called 'i'm ok ...you're a brat'). for nearly 25 years i knew i didn't want to have kids then i changed my mind because of a possible worry about a possible future feeling. WHAT AN IDIOT!! ...

anyway, now i am a full-time parent and i hate it. my problems with depression and stress made it difficult for me to hold a job before i had kids,and it is harder now - it would just increase the stress i have to cope with. the drudgery of everyday life is debilitating, the boredom of school and kinder drop-offs is numbing, and the noise the kids make is drowning my brain. i am so at the end of my tether that i tell them i hate them, and it's a horrible thing to do. they also know i love them and i do often feel flooding feelings of love for them, especially when they are quiet and ready for bed!! but the overall feeling is regret and hatred, of myself and them.

typing this made me realise how much i hate and blame myself for my stupid decision. but, come on, it it the biggest stupid decision you can ever make!! it's pretty much the only decision in life that you can't get out of somehow. that's what i find hardest - that there is no way out. and as time goes on it gets harder, not easier.

anyhow, thanks for listening, and allowing me to not feel so alone. now all we need is a magic 'turn-back-time' potion and i'd be banging on the door to be first in line! "
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"I absolutely regret having my son. I love him, and want him to fare well in life, but if I had to do it over again I wouldn't. At least not as a single parent with a non-supportive 'baby daddy'. That has no doubt added to the bitterness. I know such feelings are not healthy but they are what they are and I can't help how I feel. I'm glad there is a forum for us 'regretters' to vent...lord knows you can't speak about such things among friends or family (though I wonder how many of them secretly regret their kids?). Anyway...my son has been a struggle from say age 2 to the present (he's currently 18, lazy, unmotivated, jobless, drama king, general pain in the (__)__) He can be sweet and sensitive too, but mostly he's a burden. He even says from time-to-time "I wish I was still 8" or "I don't want to grow up". Damned if I'll have him living with me til he's 30! (which seems to be the trend these days). For any ladies who are childless out there, stay that way! The world is in such turmoil now anyway it's not a good idea to bring children into it especially if you really love them. "
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"We tried to stay together but having kids ruined our relationship. Id on't blame the kids, they are just kids. But our relationship went from romance and long walks and breakfast in bed to screaming and yelling at each other. I was so exhausted I didn't feel human for years. Oh and all those people who told me motherhood was so wonderful turned right around after they were born and said 'Oh yeah, that part is horrible, that part is also horrible' and no one tells you the truth until you are in the Mothers Club. And no one wants to babysit your kids, let's just put that out there. Thank God for my parents for being there because my so called friends were all too busy to help out."
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"I HATE how your own preferences have to be subordinate to those of a selfish, irrational person ALL THE TIME. And now I feel worse reading these posts because it's not just because my kids are young. I have no reason to think that it will get better. I fantasise about suicide, but never would because I love my husband and would never do that to him. But there is no way to escape. There is no way to make myself happy again. I wish I had never had kids. I love them (it would be easier if I didn't care). I love them so much. I wish I could be a better mother for them. I can't imagine how I am fucking them up."
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"Do I "love my kids"?, yes....do like being a mom?...absolutely not!! If you have ANY reservations or questions about whether you should have kids or not...that is a clear sign that you should NOT. Unless you want your whole life to be about nothing but your kids...and don't care at all about your independence, identity, freedom, and your body (flabby belly and boobs, loss of urinary continence)...then go ahead...loose your life to the "bundle of joy"". I have found it to be a bundle of hell, pain, monotony...nothing joyful about it. I wish I never had children!"
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"I am a smart woman and could have done anything I set my mind to, but my sole focus was to have children and a husband. Now that I have everything I always hoped for I regret my narrow-minded goals. I love my kids, of course, but it feels like I'm living through this torture chamber called parenthood...

If I had a crystal ball and could have seen how our life would have been, I truly think I would have taken a different path than parenthood. None of the good times balances out with the crap that goes on daily in my house. There are only so many memories that can buoy you up." ________________________________________

This has been a long blog post and I could have posted even more comments, but I don't want to strain my readers' eyes further. The point of cutting and pasting all of these comments here is to put an end to the myth that a childfree life is rife with regret, yet parents never regret having kids. I also want to convey a message that rarely (if ever) gets conveyed to those contemplating a life free of children: don't avoid the childfree life out of fear of regret. Every life choice involves the sacrifice of other potential life choices, and all choices can result in regret, including the choice to become a parent (as illustrated by these numerous posts from regretful parents). The difference is, the choice to become a parent is irreversible and it is far worse to regret having kids than not having them.

If you are still worried about eventual childfree regret, I challenge you to search the internet to see how many posts you can find from people who regret being childfree. If you find any at all, see if you can find posts that are as bitter, angry and filled with intense regret for a life lost, as we see here with the posts from our regretful parents. I doubt you will find many at all. But go ahead...try to prove me wrong.

If you'd like to read more from regretful parents, click here.

The Bitch & Backpedal

Here's something that I find utterly fascinating about some parents - perhaps you too have witnessed this. I call it The Bitch & Backpedal. This is how it works.

A parent is bitching and complaining about their kids and about being a parent. They're really letting loose and spilling all the beans. You know the scene. You're quiet and listening and letting them vent. They are going on and on full steam about how exhausted they are, how their kids suck the life out of them, how they are a shell of their former self. The venting feels good, so they keep going. They proceed to detail the sorry state of their financial affairs - the criminal cost of day care, having to hold down two jobs so they can pay the bills and save for their kids' college educations, how they can't afford to go out to dinner anymore and no longer have the time or money to do any of the things they love to do. And the kids are so damned UNGRATEFUL! They just take and take and take and take and don't appreciate a damned thing. You nod in sympathy and your compassionate response elicits further revelations. Their sex life has gone to hell. Even if they wanted to have sex, there's no time or energy left at the end of the day and both of them collapse into bed exhausted or too angry at each other from fighting over the kids. Parenthood has sucked every sexual impulse out of them.

You suggest that maybe they should schedule a "date night" or spend some time doing adult things together on the weekends. "Ha!" the parent laughs. "We're chauffeurs every weekend - Johnny has soccer on Saturdays and karate on Sundays, Belinda has art lessons on Saturday morning, fencing Saturday afternoons and Girl Scouts on Sunday - oh and on Tuesday nights we have PTA, on Thursdays the kids both have swim meets and Friday night is when we schedule play dates for them. We're running every day and night of the week!"

Now the parent is on a roll, ranting about their home being something akin to a war zone with toys and clothes everywhere, constant bickering and fighting, power struggles over chores and homework, evenings spent patrolling television, internet and cell phone use. And the back talk! They are at wit's end - every type of discipline they have tried has failed. The latest news is that 11 year old Belinda has been caught "sexting" nude photos of herself to several of her male classmates and has been suspended from school. The parent dissolves into a puddle of tears.

And then, without thinking, it slips out of you. "Man, I am so glad I don't have kids."

That is the trigger for The Backpedal. Abruptly the gears come to a screeching halt and the parent reverses into an alternate self, like the little girl in The Exorcist after the demon is exorcised from her, or Sybill when she switches between her multiple personalities. Their entire demeanor changes. Their face softens and takes on a glowy hue. Suddenly parenthood isn't bad at all. In fact, it's downright peachy! It's the most important job in the world and they can't imagine having any other life. You really don't know what you're missing. Those little moments when the child says, "I love you mommy and daddy" make it so worth it. There is nothing like the feeling of those little arms around your neck. It is a love that is stronger than any love they have ever felt. They are a better person for having kids - they have grown so much as a person and aren't so selfish anymore. The entire human race is better off because they have kids. Being a parent is so wonderful and their most important and gratifying role in life. (At this point, they're worried you aren't buying it, so to bolster their position they whip out the photo album - and immediately flip to the most heartwarming photos in their collection - photos you might see on the front of Hallmark cards with the child and parent gazing adoringly into each others' eyes, the proud daddy carrying his son on his shoulders, parents, kids and dog wrestling in a pile of colorful leaves on a crisp, autumn day).

I've witnessed the Bitch & Backpedal so many times at this point I can almost recite the script by heart. The Bitch & Backpedal is truly fascinating. It is like watching a glassy-eyed cult member rattle off the dogma of his leader, or a Stepford Wife robotically praising and complimenting her husband as she obediently serves him a martini like a remote control mannequin.

When I try to dissect this perplexing behavior, I can only come up with this theory:

Parenting, for the most part, sucks. Sure, it has some redeeming elements (like those little "I love yous" and arms around the neck - which, by the way, you can easily get from your nieces and nephews if you crave it) but a much higher percentage of parenthood is drudgery than pleasure. Of course, nobody tells people this going in because our pronatalist culture is laser beam-focused on beating us over the head with messages that unrealistically glorify and glamorize parenthood. Since most people are sheep and don't know the slightest thing about independent thinking, they blindly buy into every lie they are spoonfed. And let's face it - when it comes to parenthood, there are plenty of lies to go around.

So then, like good little automatons, they have children and reality hits. What?! It's not a picnic!? It's not sugar and spice and everything nice!? It's not puppies and rainbows!? It's not a life overflowing with Kodak moments!? No, for the most part, it is hours upon hours of drudgery puntuated by rare, fleeting moments of joy. Not what you bargained for? Sorry, you can't give them back. Becoming a parent and hating it is not like having a job you hate. Don't like your job? Quit and find another one (okay, maybe not too easy in this economy, but you get my point). You can even go back to school and change careers completely! Don't like your kids? Don't like being a parent? Miss your spouse, your friends, your hobbies, your love life, your personal identity, your peace of mind? You want your old life back? Tough bananas. You're stuck for at least 18 years (usually more) and there's no way out. Yes, I know it's a cliche but Sonny, you made your bed.

This is what I believe is at the root of The Backpedal. Simply stated, it is a coping mechanism. It is a form of self-delusion - a facade many parents try to uphold to avoid truly facing the harsh reality of what they have done - the fact that like all the billions of suckers before them, they were hoodwinked into a life of voluntary incarceration. So when in a moment of overwhelming frustration they inadvertently let the cat out of the bag to someone who is brave enough to acknowledge the suckiness of their life, it sends them into a tailspin. They simply cannot endure it because it confirms their deepest fear - what they know deep inside but do not want to admit - that parenthood is a prison they have no means to escape. Since they are going to be locked up for a long, long time, they might as well paint their prison in the prettiest, most uplifting shade they can find. Takes their attention off the bars.