Gf Says No Kids = Loneliness?

[Ben Davis]

I told my girlfriend I don't want to have kids. She told me I'm gonna be lonely without a family as time goes on. My friend said his mom told him this too.

I guess that in high school, you don't need your own kids to not be lonely? But as you get older, that changes because friends have their own families? I miss simple truths in life, so someone please explain this to me.

The important thing is to recognise your gf's subtext. Hearing that you don't want kids seems to have triggered a realisation in her that she might. It also seems that she's been raised with the idea that 'family is something you should do', maybe something along the lines of 'your kids look after you when you're old' hence the association between 'absence of kids' and 'lonliness'. Her comments could indicate that you're after different types of relationships. You should definitely have a broader discussion about what you both want out of life before you go too far in the relationship because kids are a big deal to a lot of people.