“I’m in my late 40s and have no regrets about not getting married.
“I never married.
I had two kids, a sperm donor.
I have an incredible village helping me raise my kids, and I knew that going in.
55, USA
2.
“[One misconception is] that I don’t have a family.
There is also a friend group I’ve known for decades and see frequently.
People need to stop projecting their insecurities onto others.”
47, Texas
3.
None of that is true.
The reality is that a man never chose me.
I wanted to build a life with someone, but he just never showed up.
Would I be happier if I were married?
54, Pennsylvania
4.
“Most people have the preconceived notion that being single equals being lonely.
There is a difference between being alone and being lonely.
There are worse things out there than being lonely.
65, Oklahoma
5.
“Myth: You’ll regret not getting married and having kids.
I relish a good night’s uninterrupted sleep, which I get most nights.
I can vacation wherever I like when I want to.”
61, California
6.
“It is tough at first.
You want to find that person you will grow old with.
My parents set a high bar.
Loving to the end.
I couldnt reach it.
I couldnt find the perfect mate, and it was killing me.
Every failed relationship brought me closer to the reality that I was going to die alone.
But then, after my last break up, I just hit autopilot.
Diug into my work.
Turned off the dating switch.
And there it was: Peace.”
“I didn’t need another person to achieve peace; I never knew that option was possible.
No more arguments about silly things that have nothing to do with anything.
No more lies or manipulations.
I’m happier now than I have ever been.
I didn’t mean to.
I worked hard against it.
But then it just happened.And for that, I am grateful.
I now live and love on my terms at 55.
When you choose peace (and it’s worth choosing), it comes with many goodbyes.”
55, Louisiana
7.
“Myth: I’m too picky.
Truth: I won’t settle to avoid being alone.”
54, California
8.
Solo exotic travel is just stressful.
With a partner, most disasters become memories and stories to be retold.
Solo those same disasters can be really scary; all that fear never becomes a funny story.”
43, Arizona
9.
“Myth: Something must be wrong with older single, never-married folks.
Or, we have higher standards and never found the right one.”
62, California
10.
I am 47 years old and have never been married.
Seven times total in 28 years.
I’m known as the runaway bride to all my friends!
I have come to realize I absolutely love being single.”
“I don’t have to be a mommy to anyone I didn’t birth.
I am not your maid nor your nanny.
It’s simple: Love yourself, and love others!”
47, USA
11.
“I had one long-term relationship in my late teens/early 20s.
I wanted to partner up again, but it never happened.
Had a kid and parented him solo for 15 years.
tharris296
12.
I think it was for her validation and happiness rather than mine.
I’m in my late 40s and have no regrets about not getting married.”
“I got to travel and do things I would have never done if I got married.
Anonymous, California
13.
“I’m about to celebrate my 60th birthday this year, and I have never been married.
I always wanted to get married and have a family since I was a little girl.
I never even imagined I would go through life without a husband or children.
Well, someday has arrived, and I am now considered a spinster.
It hurts to think that people assume I never married because I ‘chose’ not to get married.
60, USA
14.
“After a dysfunctional childhood, the opportunity to pass that legacy forward to another generation was not desirable.
Being raised in a single-parent family due to death is difficult enough.
mellowtruck20
15.
“It’s just another way to be.
My guess is no better, no worse than any other.
It has been an opportunity for contentment, and it’s not the life I anticipated.
I am at peace with it.
Love God, family, and friends.
58, Canada
16.
“I’ve never been married or engaged and love my life.
I never saw myself getting married, but I have always been open to the possibility.
I’ve built a life with friends, family, a career, and hobbies.
I choose how to spend my own money.
I decorate how I want, spend my time how I want, and I can travel a lot.
I do have great family and friends who support me.
Maybe without them, I would have prioritized a relationship more.
Having to explain this constantly sucks.”
39, Georgia
17.
I am not against marriage it just seems a tedious institution to me.
It’s a rare person who, after 20 or 30 years of marriage, actually really enjoys it.
“As a child/teenager, I wanted to be married and live ‘happily ever after.’
Now, I’d run for the hills at the thought of getting married that young.
I think being single makes your life a lot more interesting than being in a marriage.
I am free to go to some very bizarre and interesting places at a moment’s notice.
50, New York
18.
“‘You’ll be lonely, you wont have anyone to look after you, etc.’
Heard it all nothing could be further from the truth.
I love my unencumbered lifestyle!
I don’t have to worry about my kids' future because I don’t have any.
At 61, I gave no regrets.
The choices I made are reaffirmed as the years go by, and I see the world changing.”
61, Canada
19.
53, South Carolina
20.
Being alone does not mean you must be lonely.
I answer to the most important person I know: Me.”
u/grouchygoose50
And finally…
21.
56, Illinois
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
