I became a Dad for the first time 7 months ago to a baby girl. I am 28 years of age. I have always been a quiet, highly introverted person who enjoys his independence. I always thought I'd never have kids, but sometimes unplanned things happen in life; unfortunately, I'm not that perfect person who makes perfect decisions at perfect times.I love my daughter. Seeing her smile and laugh is genuinely heartwarming. I do miss aspects of my old life, mostly the freedom. I love to travel, especially alone, for 3 or 4-day trips, and I don't think it will be possible for the next 18 years at least. I love to play soccer once per week but it's unlikely I'll be able to continue with it.Also, I suffered from anxiety and depression for much of my 20s. This meant that I didn't quite get the most from my 20s and I still have residual feelings that I haven't properly lived yet. This is unlike 99% of twentysomethings who have a wild time and the most fun decade of their life. At least after that, they are in a better position to have kids because they can move on to parenting feeling no regrets.The worst part is reading online discourse about parenting, much of which is trending towards the negative nowadays. The Guardian newspaper published a 2017 article on the parents who regret having children. I read through all 1,900 comments on that article last night and 99% of them were from childfree people highlighting the greatness of their own lifestyles and the freedom that they have. There's also subreddits like r/childfree in which a quick browse through it highlights all the virtues of never having kids and how it's a much better decision. Safe to say I feel shitter than ever.Anyway, I know the simple solution is to stop reading negativity, however, the fact is it has caused me to question in greater detail my choice to become a parent. It seems as if people who go the childfree route just have better lives period. I've flagged this post as controversial because I know it's taboo to talk about regret and kids in the same sentence. Thanks for reading. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Zv4H7R
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