Letters to the Editor: Stop haranguing childless adults. They’re fighting overpopulation

To the editor: Thanks to columnist Jean Guerrero for her thoughtful piece on being childless in her mid-30s. I have three nieces past childbearing age, and they’ve never received any comment from me about their decisions not to have children.

That said, this issue has lessons in population dynamics. The subject may be a little abstract for some, but the fact that there are now a few thousand times the number of humans as there were when we were hunter-gatherers is bound to make a few think more about the problem.

Efforts to cut the birthrate may have unintended consequences, but these are certainly not unsolvable problems. Guerrero should keep those great columns coming.

Oliver Seely, Lakewood

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To the editor: I never wanted children, but my sister did and had two beautiful daughters whose lives I was privileged to be a part of from birth through high school.

I made a terrible mistake in my relationship with them. As they grew I kept seeing them as toddlers who were just as attached to me as I them. I started to complain about their life choices and became angry when I wasn’t included.

It took years of therapy and a lot of self-reflection to realize that no one, not a mother or an aunt, is entitled to run someone else’s life. I realized as I pushed my nieces away that it would have been the same with my own kids.

A big part of the reason I didn’t have children is that I knew I would make a horrible mother. I would have cared for their physical needs, but I also know I would have dictated their emotional ones.

Being a mother doesn’t come naturally. It’s a difficult, often thankless job. I applaud those who are up to the task, and to those who know it’s not for them, I say good for you, enjoy your life.

Cynthia Lerner, Los Angeles