A woman says she decided to remain childfree for life aged 16 when she worked as a babysitter and realised "I never want to do this for free".
Tera Chantelle, 29, from Cleveland, Ohio, US, says instead she chooses to be her "own main character" - and people brand her selfish.
But she believes that there are more forms of "love and happiness" than getting married and having children.
Now, working as a self-employed author, Tera enjoys lie-ins, trips abroad and working on her books - something she says she wouldn't be able to do so frequently if she had children.
Tera Chantelle, 29, from Cleveland, Ohio, US, says instead she chooses to be her "own main character" - and people brand her selfish.
But she believes that there are more forms of "love and happiness" than getting married and having children.
Now, working as a self-employed author, Tera enjoys lie-ins, trips abroad and working on her books - something she says she wouldn't be able to do so frequently if she had children.
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FunTranscript
00:00My name is Tara Chantel. I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
00:19I am an author, a comedian, a life coach, and an actress.
00:30I decided this around age 16. I remember scrolling on Twitter and seeing that I tweeted,
00:48I will never had kids, and I don't even know what compelled me to just tweet this,
00:54but Twitter gives you all your receipts. So I believe I was a babysitter at that time,
01:00and just having that awakening how hard parenthood is, and I'm just a part-time babysitter,
01:08just for a few hours and realizing this is a lifelong commitment.
01:13This is a lifelong job that doesn't even pay you, and I knew I was not built for it.
01:24The best thing about being child-free right now is the freedom.
01:38I get called selfish all the time because I'm really considering this unborn child into this existence,
01:45and I just really believe that a lot of people don't know what they don't know.
01:51So I have compassion for people that try to blame or guilt-trip me or shame me into making a decision
01:59that I know is not good for my mental health.
02:22They call it a legacy, and it's really a lineage.
02:26How you treat people is how you are being remembered, not about how many kids you produce here.
02:31That's not a legacy. That is a lineage, and a lot of people don't know the difference.
02:36I give myself meaning. I make the meaning of this life, and I truly find joy in the small things.
02:43Just reading a book makes me joyful. Going outside in nature makes me joyful.
02:49Love and relationships have nothing to do with each other.
02:52I can exist in love and be loved, and the more that I am loved and I give love, I receive love.
02:59So that's how I operate.
03:01I have been single for eight years, and I've also been practicing celibacy throughout this whole journey in my 20s.
03:07So that has made me come to the realization that I am consciously single at this moment.