I have 4 sisters (2 from different mothers). Oldest sister is child free, 2 more are fence sitters. 1 absolutely wants children (she's the only one with a good relationship with her mother and my father). I was a fence sitter for the longest too. I can't help but think it has everything to do with the lack of emotional support we received as children. My father was an absentee one and seeing the burden (yes burden!) that fell on my mother, for which she was entirely unprepared to carry alone, made me view motherhood in a negative light.

I still don't have children but plan to in 2-4 years as I'm getting up there in age. Children are so much work, you lose so many freedoms, your life is no longer your own. Every decision you make from the moment you are pregnant has to consider their well-being. Daycare is expensive, children place a strain on marriages, the emotional labor associated with motherhood is high. Sometimes, I wonder if I am nurturing enough to be a mother. I've also been working on myself to "break the cycle" of emotional abuse. I'm hoping that by going in with my eyes wide open, choosing a partner who won't shirk his responsibilities and being older and more financially stable will make motherhood less of a burden than it was on my mother.