Many of my friends have kids. Many more are planning to have kids. I have a sibling with kids. I, on the other hand, do not have kids, and will probably never have kids. And the next time I am asked why I do not want to have kids (which is honestly a question I’m asked more than I ever expected to be asked), I will use the one recently used by superstar chef and lifestyle icon, Ina Garten.
In an interview with Katie Couric on her podcast—Katie’s podcast, not Ina’s (though a boy can dream)—Garten explains why she and Jeffery Garten, her loving husband of nearly 50 years, never had children. She said (emphasis mine):
“We decided not to have children. I really appreciate that other people do and we will always have friends that have children that we are close to but it was a choice I made very early.”
I do not want to presume that I have any idea what it feels like to be responsible for a precious human life, but I do know what it feels like to cook Ina’s recipe for skillet-roasted lemon chicken (one of Jeffrey’s favorites)—and boy, is it spectacular.