In my family, I have become defined as the single childless person, and I'm fine with that.

It's allowed us some freedom and some flexibility. She's been able to change careers. We've been able to move.

Finally, making that decision just felt like a huge relief.

Life is really rich. I've achieved many of the goals I envisioned earlier on.

I earned a PhD, I ran the Boston Marathon, and I'm leaving this message from my home in Germany, where I dreamed about living for a long time.

I believe I would be a good mother. I just don't want to put somebody else's needs and wants in front of my own.

Those who have consciously chosen not to have children are the minority of the childless.

Often it's not a choice, such as those who are physically unable to have children.

Many others, like myself, just didn't find a suitable partner and didn't want to raise a child alone.

I did get married, I do have step children, and step grandchildren, which I really enjoy a lot.

But I'm not responsible for them. I didn't raise them. So I feel like I really have the best of both worlds.

I'm 30 years old, and I still don't know what I want to do. Sometimes I think absolutely not, and sometimes I think I could do that.

I really didn't want to be a parent. Honestly, I didn't believe that I would be a good one.

After 30 years, I can say that I think I made the right choice.

I would say that being months shy of our 40th winning anniversary, hardly a week goes by, that we are not grateful for our decision.

I have no kids. I never wanted kids. I am blissfully happy without the responsibility.

So Maria, does any of that sound familiar to you?

It certainly does, and why?

Well, I mean, there are a whole lot of different responses there from trying to make a decision at 30, and to being very happy later in life, knowing that you've made the right decision.

So I think that's the spectrum for me that I never really wanted children for a number of reasons.

But then I fell in love with a man who did want a child, so then we had to negotiate that.

And then through my 40s, there were a lot of different pressures on me in different ways.

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