C is for Children • #atozchallenge

by KatieP, in category Health | Midlife

I am fifty years old and my ovaries are on their last legs. They manage to muster up enough effort to squeeze out a tired old egg every couple of months or so, but to be honest, we’ve reached the bottom of the barrel. Very soon there will be none left.

I am fifty years old and my ovaries are on their last legs. They manage to muster up enough effort to squeeze out a tired old egg every couple of months or so, but to be honest, we’ve reached the bottom of the barrel. Very soon there will be none left.

I could be accused of having wasted every single one. You see, I’ve never been pregnant — not even close. Those rumours in my twenties that I’d had an abortion weren’t true (I told you so, Mum). Even though I was far from careful in those days, I managed to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.

I’ve managed to avoid pregnancy entirely.

When I was first married at twenty-nine, the plan to have children was pinned to some date in the future. Thirty-five perhaps. But thirty-five, and then forty came and went and I still didn’t feel ready to have children.

My husband wasn’t keen either. “I hate the little shits,” he said.

I wouldn’t have been a good mother anyway. I was too selfish, too self-absorbed, too mean and too impatient. At least that’s what my husband told me. And as the years rolled on, I started to believe him.

In hindsight, I think I knew my husband wouldn’t be a very good father. Perhaps I realised on some level that I didn’t love him enough to become a parent with him. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I didn’t have to try to explain to my children why their father chose to end his own life, and be left worrying that they might fall prey to the same mental illness.

My boyfriend has three children who were six, ten and twelve when we first met. When they came to stay on the weekends, I discovered I might not have been a bad mother after all. They are older now and live in another country with their mother. I miss them. I wish I could see them more often.

I wish I could have had children with my boyfriend but it’s all too late. I like to imagine that in another life-time we had loads of children together and this time around we chose to just have each other.

I don’t have any nieces or nephews, but I do have thirteen high school kids I get to teach once a week. They are smart, funny, cheeky and exhausting. I love being part of their lives. I hope one day when they are older, they’ll remember being part of the school musical stage crew with Miss Paul.

I know there are women who desperately want children they can’t have and I feel for them. My own experience in no way diminishes their anguish. My own mother had several miscarriages before my parents adopted me. I can’t imagine that kind of pain.

So as my ovaries take their final bow, I have no regrets. Life doesn’t always end up the way you imagine it will. And that’s okay. Perhaps it’s more than okay.

This post is part of the April A to Z Challenge. 

children T

About KatieP

Embracing my midlife sexy while exploring modern love & relationships • Devoted to all things beautiful • Master of Arts in creative writing & non-fiction writing

57 thoughts on “C is for Children • #atozchallenge”

      1. What about at this time in your life? I get the impression from this blog that you’re sad about not having kids.

        1. I’m way past adding children to my life at fifty. I can barely remember where I put the keys, let alone having to remember where I put a child!
          One day, I’ll have grand-dad’s-girlfriend-babies and that will be awesome.

  4. I loved having babies, yet that is not the only valid path. When I was younger, I couldn’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want babies, but age gives you a broader perspective, if you allow it.

  5. Somehow i felt i understood what you meant…motherhood is way apart i agree..gives a dimension to your life…but all said and done my hats off to an independent soul looking for life way beyond what most of us do join bandwagons and become mothers and seeking answers of your own…p0

    1. Sometimes it’s worse than we imagine, but other times it is better. We can’t control our circumstances, all we can do is try to make the best of them. Lots of love to you ♥

      1. Thank you – and yeah – that’s where I’m at, at the moment – trying to make the best of things. I think it’s working, give or take. Thank goodness. <3

  8. I don’t regret not having children, although I have that small quiet sense of missing something important in life, but that may just be the ever present back-beat of my primal instinct to reproduce. Even at 50 it still reminds me that I’m failing at the Prime Directive. Your ovaries might be about to quit but my testes, though tired, are still quietly optimistic.

    TBH though any sense of failure to procreate is more than compensated for by my relief at *not* inflicting the psychological and emotional damage on a child that my father inflicted on me, and no doubt his father inflicted on him. Even now after half a lifetime of finding and understanding myself I still don’t feel confident that I could be the father any child deserves.

    Maybe if I get another 50 years I might have figured it out and finally be ready for parenting. Sadly I suspect by then my boys won’t capable of even making it to the starting blocks, let alone swimming anywhere. Finding a willing receptacle at that age might also be problematic. So unless we get more than one shot at this, the Universe will have to forgo the opportunity to experience Dave Jnr.

    And that’s OK.

    1. Audrey dearest, did you miss the part where I’m fifty years old 😉

      Also, I don’t actually want children now, what I would have liked is to have been with the right man when I was young and fertile. But it’s all an exercise in ‘what if’.

  10. I was 33 when I married my husband and we got pregnant right away. Biological clock and all that. Mothering infants did not come naturally to me. I love my two (adult now) children and wouldn’t trade the motherhood and the love for anything, but sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder “what if I never had kids?”

    1. I think we all indulge in imagining an alternative life, and sometimes think it would be better than the one we’ve got. But in the end, there is good and bad in everything.

      Thank you for your insightful comment.

  11. I’m in my late thirties and have not had children, I have always not felt the desire to have children, but who knows in life what will take place in me. I think if I ever did have the feeling I would adopt. I always perhaps saw myself with a lot of cats and dogs LOL but needless to say I do ponder if my feelings will change and it will be too late…

    1. I always used to wonder if I’d wake up one day and regret my decision, but I don’t think you do. You just accept the choices you’ve made and carry on. There are loads of children in the world you can love without them being your own.

  12. I never wanted children. I had a long term relationship with a man who was DYING for me to get pregnant and it never happened and I was always relieved because I KNEW he would have been a terrible father – he was a terrible boyfriend. Then I met my current husband, who had children from his first marriage (he was a widower). I’ve raised these boys since they were 6 and 8 and I love them as if I had them myself. I found out later I am unable to bear children – sometimes this makes me sad because my husband is a fabulous father and I would have loved to add to our family when I was younger – now that I’m pushing 50, I’m accepting where we are and our family is just perfect for me, as-is. It’s more than okay. You write beautifully!

    1. Thank you for sharing your story. I think it’s natural to want to pro-create with someone we love and respect, but sometimes that isn’t on the cards. Good on you for appreciating the blessing you have x

  13. This is lovely, Katie..I don’t think my older son will have any kids…his dad is giving him grief over it..I told him that he has to do what is right for HIM…not for me or his dad or anyone else, especially when it comes to having kids.

  17. I like your frank style in speaking about your child-less ovaries. You’re right that there are women/men out there who are desperate for children and it’s good to see that this doesn’t put you off being open about your own feelings on the subject. We had a complicated pregnancy and traumatic birth experience and are now oh-so-fortunate to have our little girl. It’s everyone’s choice of course, until nature intervenes and our ovaries retire… #AtoZChallenge from Carol Cameleon at VirtuallyAllSorts.com @AllSortsHere

    1. Thank you Carol. I admire the bravery of women like you who go through so much to have children. It must make your daughter so precious to you x

  18. I came from a family of five kids…I am the only one of the five that went on to have kids of my own! For a variety of reasons they all chose not to father/mother kids. My own father committed suicide when I was 7…I can’t imagine having to explain that to a child.

    Smidgen Snippets & Bits

  19. I’m 50-mumble and haven’t had those annoying periods for two years. I don’t miss them! I only had one child, who is now 28 and adult herself. One was all my husband and I ever wanted, though family and friends did their best to try to make us feel guilty for that decision. Especially as our one-and-only is a girl. And no, my husband never missed having a boy. I’m not likely to have grandchilden as our daughter is more interested in animals than in men. She has no patience with the male human animal. And that’s all right too.

  20. I think it’s awesome you’ve been able to accept and be content with where you’re at in life. In some small way I do think there will always be that “What if?” but the contentment keeps it from turning into regret or anger or even bitterness that it never happened.

    I’m hoping to one day reach that level of contentment. While still in my childbearing years I am not quite there, but it’s better than it used to be thankfully.

  21. I wish I had something witty or clever to add. I have had a child and want more. I find myself in a relationship that I certainly won’t add children to. The way you wrote about this is all so beautiful. Perhaps the lack of judgement? Grace is the word I’m looking for.

  22. At 37 I have yet to get married or have children. Demographically, I’m considered Gen-X but I have squeezed myself into the millennials category and as many millennials have decided not to have children, still an unpopular choice. I am an excellent aunt to my cousins children (I’m an only child) and great with other people’s kids. I think I would have liked being a mom and I know I would make a cool step-mom. So we’ll see.

    1. Love that you have ‘step-mum’ among your options. It’s a tough job but so important. In the end, of course, it’s simply all about love x

  23. It’s great that you know your mind! I don’t see why anyone should have children simply out of some kind of obligation.

  26. This is one of the most touching A to Z posts I’ve read – and one that I can really relate to. I’m approaching 40 (at the end of the year) and although my husband and I tried for years to get pregnant, it never happened and we decided we didn’t want to go down other routes – probably because I am too selfish myself. I thought about adoption but my husband was too afraid of raising someone else’s child for fear he/she may have been abused, drugged in the womb / inherited parent’s mental illnesses, etc (we did visit the adoption agency and they did everything they could to put us off – it worked).
    But we’re happy now and we do have nieces and nephews we get to see once or twice a year (we live Portugal – they all live in England). So it’s just the two of us and we get to enjoy way more holidays than our peers do!!
    I’m definitely returning to your blog, Katie. I love it!
    Suzy Turner: Author, Yogi Wannabe & Self-Help Geek.

    1. There are definite benefits to being child free and loads of holidays are one of them. Thank you for your lovely compliments and welcome to my small square of the internet ♥

  28. I think the fact that you were able to say that you wouldn’t have been the best Mom when you were younger is a wonderfully selfless thing. So many people have children and remain self centered, shitty parents.
    We should all be as self aware. <3

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