I am 31. I am married. We have decided not to have children.
This decision was not made lightly. My husband and I talked about it for years. We know who we are, what we want our life to look like, and what we are not willing to offer a child. We are at peace with it.
The world around us is not.
Every family gathering circles back to it. Relatives ask about it with a presumption that the delay is a problem to be solved. My mother-in-law has suggested, more than once, that there may be something wrong with me. A church elder prayed for my womb during a service without my knowledge.
I have a right to this decision. I know that. But I am also a person who lives in a community and a culture and a family, and the constant pressure has started to wear something down in me.
How have other women in similar situations protected their peace? How do you hold your own decision when everyone around you is convinced it is a mistake?