What would you do if someone offered to wave a magic wand, and you didn’t have children anymore?

[Geriatricmillenial]

I love my children and they do bring joy, but I get this thought in my head sometimes.

The conditions of the spell would have to be that I had no knowledge of my children whatsoever, I would just go back in time to before they were born and make dramatically different choices.

I get the impression a lot of the other mums I know don’t really feel this way, so is it just me?

Nah. Not saying it’s always easy but I wouldn’t be without them for a second

Mine are at an age where the answer would be no thanks.

But if you had no knowledge of them ever existing, you’d just immediately start trying for them surely?

I wouldn’t change a thing. They’re best thing I’ve ever done.

Yes now I have had them I can't make them disappear.... But if I had my life again I wouldn't have children which is hard to say. But having been a single parent for 23 years it's so tough rasing kids in a single income house and not just financially I mean emotionally as well.

Nope, life isn’t always easy with a disabled child but it would be dull without him. I can’t imagine a more fulfilled life without him.

Hmm. Mine are all adult now, but I do sometimes think that if I had my time over again I wouldn't have had children. I don't actually want them wiped from the face of the earth - just that I suspect I had a family because that's what you did, without ever actually thinking whether I might have been perfectly happy without children.

Same. Only possible change is actually sort dating my lovely DH a couple of years earlier and maybe have time for a third kid?

Seriously, they are wonderful. I am often tired. But I would never go back to not having them.

Life without children isn’t dull.

No way.

Fuck no. I'd keep mine.

Christ, no, not in a million years.

But I’m very happy with only one. Not risking rolling the dice again and thinking I’ll be even happier with two, because I suspect that wouldn’t be the case and that’s something that can’t be undone.

My kids are still small and cute, so that might make a difference, but no. I couldn't be without them now.

Absolutely not. If I could wave a magic wand and go back I’d have a third, I found the baby and toddler stage so hard that it put me off, but now they’re both 7+ I’d love to have had more of them (single mum now though)

It’s not just you OP. I’d make the same choice as you, as long as I had absolutely no inkling of their existence.

My god no. My life would be shit without my daughter. Shes the love of my life 🥰

Nope I will keep my DD, life is so much happier and richer with her in it.

I don’t object to the kids per se, I love them to pieces, but rather I take issue with what I have to do to look after them. I feel like my magic wish would be a live in nanny and housekeeper 🤷‍♀️

If I lost my daughter I’d kill myself. She’s 9. She has no idea that I feel this way and I wouldn’t never let on.

She is my third IVF, and the first IVF went badly wrong and I nearly died and ended up in a coma and in hospital for ages. She was eventually born at 26 weeks and we spent 12 weeks in nicu watching her fight for her life. When she was 4 she suffered a fit and breathed in salvia, nearly dying again. As they tried to resuscitate her repeatedly in front of my eyes I said to my husband if she didn’t make it I wouldn’t be around for long.

She can be demanding and grumpy, she has ASD and ADHD. She’s probably quite spoiled.

But even a second without her in my life now would be my idea of hell on earth. So if someone offered me your wand I’d run away as fast as I could.

Same both my children have their challenges and my youngest has very complex needs but I couldn't be without either of them
And i always wanted children

Can I have the magic wand that gives me children please?

I was 30 when I had my first. I spent my whole teens and twenties feeling so disjointed, unsure of myself, unfulfilled and insecure.
I have a MA and never felt what I was doing was “good enough”.
I don’t have good relationships with my parents and having my own family and a happy marriage has given me love and contentment that I’ve never experienced before.

Absolutely no way, my kids are the best thing that have ever happened in my life.

Yes I'd say bum I'm over 40, why haven't I got down to it yet!

I’d do it to my DH’s children.

Oh gosh, no! I very nearly didn’t have my daughter as was convinced I didn’t like kids. Had my DD at 41 and it was the best decision ever. I get quite teary at times when I think about not having her.