From the archive

Do you really want a child?

Sometimes the most adult decision sounds like “not now.” Sometimes it's “I don't want this at all.” Neither requires a dissertation in your defense or a formal announcement to every relative. And if you do want it, let that desire leave room for a living person. With a separate life that doesn't exist to fill your emptiness. It's easier to give birth to your purpose than to admit, years later, that your purpose has grown up and wants a life of its own.