I had decided I didn't want kids pretty early on. I am a pretty lazy person and I don't want to have that kind of responsibility. I'd rather devote my time to my hobbies. But that combined with global warming, the political climate getting worse (even 10 years ago), and the financial climate getting worse - all those combined made me say No with certainty.

And then I got chronically sick and was told that getting pregnant would kill me. So that makes it much easier to give an answer to pushy middle age people who expect children from any mildly level headed women.

That all being said, I do wish I had a niece or nephew I could do fun science experiments with or go catch bugs or identify mushrooms. Y'know, druid aunty things. But neither of my siblings want/can have children either. The bloodline ends with us.