PARENTING

8 Children, No “Me” Time for 30 Years — Do I Regret Having Kids?

Was all that sacrifice really worth it?

Diane Neill Tincher
5 min readJun 22, 2022

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Photos of eight happy babies surround a central photo of the author in her youth.
Me in 1978 and my 8 babies. (Author’s photos.)

I recently read an article from a woman who claims she would regret having children for all the fun she would have to give up. That gave me pause to reflect.

I do not regret motherhood

I have made many mistakes in my life, but one thing I do not regret is having 8 children.

Sure, I spent a good 30 years of my life with no “me” time. My children occupied all my waking hours and some nighttime hours as well.

The amazing magic of love meant that my concern for my children and their welfare overruled any personal desires. I gave up my own wants and wishes and dedicated myself fully to my kids.

Any thoughts of independence and freedom were far from my mind. My children had defined my life’s purpose.

It wasn’t all roses

Raising babies and little children is the easy part. Their days are full of happy giggles, problems that are easy to solve, and the simple joys of learning.

Teens are a different story altogether.

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Diane Neill Tincher

Top writer in Travel. I’ve lived in Japan since 1987 & love learning, history, & the beauty of nature. Pls use my link to join Medium: https://bit.ly/3yqwppZ