AIBU to say it's not unusual to get married and choose not to have kids

[sandybeachlolly]

Speaking to friend recently, I don't want to have children which is my choice but I want to get married one day. My friend said in her opinion she wouldn't have married her DH if they did not want kids as she wouldn't have seen the point. Surely it's not that unusual to get married but choose not to have children?

@SquirryTheSquirrel

We've been married 15 years and we are childfree by choice. It's far more complicated to set up provisions for your partner in the event of your death if you are unmarried.

This is why I got married too. OP, your friend sounds like the sort of person who has DC because 'that's what you do'. Ignore.

Each of my parents has been divorced 3 times, so I didn't have a good example of a healthy marriage growing up, and by 15, had decided that it wasn't for me.

I did want DC however, and a few years after meeting, DP and I decided to TTC. Once I was pregnant, I had a sudden, over-riding urge to be married, to have that 'locked in family unit', where we all had the same surname. Happily for me, DP took the hint and proposed and we got married when I was 14 weeks along.

15 years later and our marriage is the healthiest example I know and we have 2 fabulous DDs!

So in my case, I don't think I would have married had we not wanted DC (as perhaps I wouldn't have felt that longing to share the same surname), but my DSis and her DP are due to be married soon and they're certainly not planning on any DC, so I don't think it's unusual these days at all.