Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

I feel certain there are thousands of women that question everyday if having children was the right decision. There must be days when a parent wonders what life he/she would be leading had they not chosen to be a parent. As a childless woman, I am aware everyday of things I could not do if I were a mother. When I see women my age with a handful of children, trying to correct them or whatever it is moms have to do, I feel this overwhelming sense of relief.

That is not to say that someday I do not want to have a child. That day is just not in the immediate future. When I have a child, it will be after I have thought long and hard about it. I do not want to be the Meryl Streep character from Kramer vs. Kramer. At the minimum, motherhood is an 18-year job.

After walking away from her family, the ex-wife/mother comes back into the lives of her ex-husband and son. Now that she has taken time to figure out what she wants, she decides to fight her ex for custody of the child. In the end, she makes the the more selfless (in my opinion) choice. She realizes she cannot do it and the father should be his primary care-giver. Some people are better parents for walking away. Staying in the child's life can lead to resenting the child and causing him/her years of pain and even more years of therapy. I am not saying the answer is not to have kids. I just think people need to really think before they have children.