30% of mothers regret having children. Here one woman shares her story…

women regret having children

by Mel Fallowfield |
Published on

It’s a huge taboo to admit you regret having children. But in an exclusive survey for Closer nearly a third of women confessed to these feelings. We talk to two women who reveal their struggles with motherhood.

When Victoria Elder first saw her baby girl, she remembers looking into her huge blue eyes and noticing how much she looked like her. Then she remembers her first coherent thought was ‘I’ve made a huge mistake’.

And 18 years on, she candidly admits she still regrets having children.

Victoria, 48, who works for a mortgage company, tells Closer: “I’m not saying I don’t love my daughter, Morgane; I do, very much. But I do regret ever having become a mother.

women regret having children
Victoria told Closer that she regrets having her daughter Morgane (Credit: Supplied) ©Supplied

“There are various reasons why I don’t enjoy it. When she was little and sitting around on the floor playing with her toys, it was so boring (CHK).

“As she grew older, I struggled with the fact she always needed my company. I’m an introverted person who’s happy reading a book on my own, but Morgane always wanted my attention.

“Then there’s the anxiety – I worried about her when she was away from me. I’m not a naturally anxious person, so I felt as though I’d changed and wanted the old me back.”

Surprisingly, Victoria isn’t alone in her feelings. An exclusive Closer survey carried out by OnePulse (the mobile research app) of 500 women found 30 per cent had experienced regret over having children, with 25 per cent confessing they felt like this constantly.

women regret having children
Regretting having children is seen as a taboo so many women suffer in silence (Credit: Getty) ©Getty

There’s also a Facebook group dedicated to unhappy parents called I regret having children with over 6,000 members. And on parenting forum Mumsnet there are numerous women admitting their regrets.

One woman confesses: “People used to say ‘I bet you can’t imagine life without them' [my children]. And I would think: “I can and it would be great”.

**Read the full feature in this week's Closer Magazine, on sale NOW. **

HAVE YOUR SAY: We'd love to hear from you - do you regret having children or was it the best decision you ever made? Share your thoughts, anonymously, below...

OnePulse surveyed 500 Closer readers in February 2017. Want your opinion to be counted? Download the OnePulse app and enter invite code CLOSER to join our panel

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