The Procreation Decision

I have always been fascinated by the whole idea of procreation and parenting. Reproduction is necessary for continuing our species, but not mandatory for any of us individually. Through the act of breeding you are linking yourself to a sexual partner forever (in a way), by creating a new person that is part of each of you. It is such a major, life-changing event in so many ways, but also so common that it is happening somewhere all over the world every single minute of the day. Some parents make a deliberate choice to do it and sometimes even spend tons of time, money, and emotional energy working to make it happen, especially if there are fertility issues to overcome. On the flip side, “Oops! I’m pregnant!” happens every day, too. If you choose to, it can mean you commit yourself to another person’s well-being for basically the rest of your life, or you can decide to give up your parental rights and let someone else raise your offspring. It’s just so complex. And even the people who choose not to become parents have so many different reasons for that making that choice. So, I decided to ask people – like you! – about their personal choices in this matter. I thought it would be a fun and informative journey, and I hope you enjoy following along with me.