LibraryScenariosWhen couples feel social pressure to have children before deciding if they actually want them
Scenario

When couples feel social pressure to have children before deciding if they actually want them

Our close friends keep asking when we're going to have kids and my husband always deflects but I know we both feel the pressure, and the truth is we genuinely don't know if we want children but we've never said that out loud to each other. It feels like everyone around us just assumes it's inevitable and we're starting to feel like we're disappointing people by not being sure.

Rabia
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

External expectations about parenthood are creating pressure to perform certainty about a life choice that remains genuinely unresolved between partners.

Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with The philosophy of parenthood — why and what for?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.