What Percentage of MMM Forum Folks have Kids?

[MMMaybe]

Can we have a third category for Childfree NOT by choice?

I always hate it when those of us who've been unable to have children get lumped into the hate children/don't want children category by default.

[asauer]

Married.  Two 8 year olds.  Yes, they are dirty and smelly and yes, they cost a lot (my son's stomach is the black hole of Calutta).  Yes, this choice delayed FIRE mainly b/c we opted to adopt our two.  Adoption (generally) is extremely expensive.

[Liz]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

[DINK]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

Don't feel weird, I never really got that biological clock ticking maternal instinct either. I knew I would never have kids when I noticed that whenever I saw a puppy I went ape shit, "OMG, a puuuuuuppppppy, I want to hug it, I want to hold it, I want to looooove it!" but when I saw a baby I was ambivalent, "oh a baby, cute." 
What's funny is that I always thought I wanted children but I had an epiphany when I hit my 30's that maybe I never really wanted children, I just assumed I did want/would have them because it is such a forgone conclusion for women.

[Cookie78]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

Don't feel weird, I never really got that biological clock ticking maternal instinct either. I knew I would never have kids when I noticed that whenever I saw a puppy I went ape shit, "OMG, a puuuuuuppppppy, I want to hug it, I want to hold it, I want to looooove it!" but when I saw a baby I was ambivalent, "oh a baby, cute." 
What's funny is that I always thought I wanted children but I had an epiphany when I hit my 30's that maybe I never really wanted children, I just assumed I did want/would have them because it is such a forgone conclusion for women.

Exactly me too. I had to double check to make sure I didn't write this post!

37 now, still no urge to have kids.

[leftcoastenvy]

I am 30 and I have 3 kids. Two girls, ages 5 and 2, and a boy who is 9 months old. We could be FIRE already if it wasn't for kids, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our current plan is to FIRE by age 45.

[Squirrel away]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

Don't feel weird, I never really got that biological clock ticking maternal instinct either. I knew I would never have kids when I noticed that whenever I saw a puppy I went ape shit, "OMG, a puuuuuuppppppy, I want to hug it, I want to hold it, I want to looooove it!" but when I saw a baby I was ambivalent, "oh a baby, cute." 
What's funny is that I always thought I wanted children but I had an epiphany when I hit my 30's that maybe I never really wanted children, I just assumed I did want/would have them because it is such a forgone conclusion for women.

Same here.

[hybrid]

Two kids, 27 and 20. For those who claim that kids don't have to be expensive I say buyer beware. Kids have this nasty habit of coming up with expenses you weren't quite prepared for.

Think of them like you would think of a renovation project. Whatever number you have in mind that it will cost to raise them, you haven't thought of something unexpected. Plan for it costing a good bit more than what you budgeted. Little Jimmy needs braces? Hadn't thought of that. Little Susie needs counseling during her high school years? Hadn't thought of that.

As someone who has run the gamut of expenses, some avoidable and some not, all I can say is that they are in fact quite expensive. Have children because you want to have children, and if you want to get wealthy and retire early do not discount just how much they will cost.

[obstinate]

Would be interesting to see the age of the "no"s. We have some childless older folks on here. But it's also important to realize that approximately 90.253+-15% of 25-or-younger men want no kids. As those of us in the older crowd know, minds have a way of changing.

[MissStache]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

Don't feel weird, I never really got that biological clock ticking maternal instinct either. I knew I would never have kids when I noticed that whenever I saw a puppy I went ape shit, "OMG, a puuuuuuppppppy, I want to hug it, I want to hold it, I want to looooove it!" but when I saw a baby I was ambivalent, "oh a baby, cute." 
What's funny is that I always thought I wanted children but I had an epiphany when I hit my 30's that maybe I never really wanted children, I just assumed I did want/would have them because it is such a forgone conclusion for women.

Exactly me too. I had to double check to make sure I didn't write this post!

37 now, still no urge to have kids.

All the dittos!  Urge never kicked in, and I'm guessing that since I'm now a few days away from 33, it probably isn't going to!  Totally OK with that...

[wenchsenior]

32/f and kidless so far. I'm actually not 100% sure if I want kids or not yet. The maternal instinct for kiddos has not completely hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like an anomaly.

Don't feel weird, I never really got that biological clock ticking maternal instinct either. I knew I would never have kids when I noticed that whenever I saw a puppy I went ape shit, "OMG, a puuuuuuppppppy, I want to hug it, I want to hold it, I want to looooove it!" but when I saw a baby I was ambivalent, "oh a baby, cute." 
What's funny is that I always thought I wanted children but I had an epiphany when I hit my 30's that maybe I never really wanted children, I just assumed I did want/would have them because it is such a forgone conclusion for women.

Exactly me too. I had to double check to make sure I didn't write this post!

37 now, still no urge to have kids.

All the dittos!  Urge never kicked in, and I'm guessing that since I'm now a few days away from 33, it probably isn't going to!  Totally OK with that...

Meh. I never had even a hint of biological clock, even when my friends were going nuts with it. People would say, "oh wait till you're older". I'm 44 now and still waiting. It isn't going to happen. Everyone falls on a continuum....no big deal. Numbers of people who are childfree-by-choice continue to rise, probably  because culture no longer expects that even those people with no urge/interest to procreate still do so.

[Dicey]

I voted NO, because it reflects my status, but I call BS on the reason offered in the poll.

I simply never found the right partner until long after the baby factory was out of business. Going through those years was hard, especially when my friends and sibs were getting married and building their families. If I'd known how it was going to work out in the end, I think know I would have cared/worried a lot less.

[GuitarStv]

Where's the option for those of us who have kids, but don't think children are awesome?

[arebelspy]

I'm curious to compare MMM Forum FIRE plans to the General Population.

Me too.  So the poll said 70% yes/30% no for Mustachians who visit the forum, saw this poll, and decided to vote in it.

What's the stats for the general population?

[rocketpj]

Where's the option for those of us who have kids, but don't think children are awesome?

Kids are 80% exhausting and frustrating and 20% awesome.  Give or take about 19.99% on any given day.

[DocMcStuffins]

4 biologic children.....adopting 1-3 from Haiti currently.  Yes, I have given up all hopes of a "life"..........although to be honest, I would never trade this "life" for any other.

[matchewed]

I'm curious to compare MMM Forum FIRE plans to the General Population.

Me too.  So the poll said 70% yes/30% no for Mustachians who visit the forum, saw this poll, and decided to vote in it.

What's the stats for the general population?

If you just go with the straight up who has kids the forum results reflect reality. Linkedy link link.

[arebelspy]

I'm curious to compare MMM Forum FIRE plans to the General Population.

Me too.  So the poll said 70% yes/30% no for Mustachians who visit the forum, saw this poll, and decided to vote in it.

What's the stats for the general population?

If you just go with the straight up who has kids the forum results reflect reality. Linkedy link link.

Thanks!

It's interesting where Mustachians match almost perfectly the general population, and where we differ wildly (savings rates, net worth, etc.).