Woman reveals ‘selfish’ reasons she and her husband don’t want children

Sydney woman Indianna Knight and her husband have several reasons why they don't want children. Photos / @indiannaknight, @studioeightyfive_

A self-confessed “selfish” young couple have shared all the reasons they’ve decided not to have children.

Indianna Knight, a 25-year-old professional makeup artist from Sydney, revealed that she and her husband are content to be “dog parents” for the rest of her life, admitting she’d rather go out for dinner and take naps whenever she likes instead of worrying about looking after children.

In a video shared to TikTok, Knight revealed that her husband is on the same page and as the eldest of four siblings, has “done his fair share” of helping raise kids.

@indiannaknight

Dog parent and cool aunty for life 😎 #dink #childfreebychoice

♬ original sound - Indi

In the video, Knight went on to share five of the reasons the couple have decided to remain child-free, as several viewers chimed in and agreed their decision made sense.

‘Kids are expensive’

Knight made the disclaimer that she’s “not against parents” in the clip, adding, “I fully believe you can have a fulfilled, wealthy life with kids.”

But she admitted the cost of living was a factor in deciding against becoming a parent.

“I look at my friends with kids and think they’re doing an incredible job, but it’s hard enough to afford normal life, how do you afford kids as well?”

In Australia, it can cost up to A$960 (NZ$1034) a week to raise two kids on an average income, according to the country’s Institute of Family Studies.

Plunket estimates on its website that in New Zealand, it can cost around $300-$400 per week to raise a child.

Personality clashes

Knight admitted she had “never been a kid person”.

“I’m that awkward person that just doesn’t know what to do with them ... I really dread people handing me their kids, I’ve never wanted them,” she added.

Her husband is the eldest of four kids and spent most of his childhood and young adulthood helping look after his siblings, she revealed.

“He’s done his time, he doesn’t want to do it again.”

Balancing work and kids

Knight admitted it would be difficult to balance parenting with the demands of her business and her work as a makeup artist.

“You can be ambitious and have kids, but my business is my baby,” she said. “It takes up so much time and energy and stress.”

Knight said she “couldn’t” put the same amount of effort into both her work and bringing up a child.

‘Selfish’ reasons

Knight readily admitted she is “selfish” with her time - “I’m happy to admit that,” she said in the clip.

“I would rather say I’m selfish and choose to not have kids because of it, than have them and still want to be selfish ... I want to take a nap and go out to dinner whenever I want and not have to worry about organising a babysitter.”

She added that she and her husband are “on the same page”.

“I’ll openly admit we’re putting ourselves first.”

Kids are noisy

Another reason she doesn’t want kids is that she doesn’t want to deal with the “extra noise”.

“I am such an introverted homebody and I just love sitting at home in the quiet,” Knight revealed, adding that it was her personal choice and she would not judge others for their family planning decisions.

“There’s no reason to get frustrated with it or annoyed because you disagree, my philosophy is to just let people live their life.”

Her choice seemed to resonate with many who commented on her video, with one woman writing that she felt the “same”.

“It’s hard because a lot of people think you’re in a phase or will try to change your mind, when it’s okay to not want them,” she added.

Another questioned how people could “afford” to have kids, while another noted she “loved sleep” too much.

However, others disagreed - one mum responded to Knight’s video with, “It’s different with your own kids. You won’t get it.”