I’ve chosen to be child-free: here is how I plan to build a life full of joy and meaning

Even though I’m happy with my decision, not having kids can sometimes make me feel untethered. So I’ve built a list of alternative milestonesA friend came over for dinner recently and brought her newborn daughter. She was adorable, giggling, drooling and kicking her legs with gusto (the baby, not my friend). My husband and I are very open about the fact that we don’t want to have children. I am child-free by choice, and it feels like an important distinction to make: I have never tried to get pregnant, and I have no idea how my body would work – or not work – in that department. It will probably always remain a mystery. It means that my friends with kids tend to give me the honest truth about their parenting life. There’s no pretending things are better or worse than they are and I feel privileged to witness the good, the bad and the ugly. My friend told me her baby was sleeping like an absolute dream – and that she probably isn’t going to share that with any of the pals she made at an