In my late 20s, I ended a relationship with someone because he wanted kids. No matter how much I loved him and how perfect our relationship could have been in any other way, none of it was enough to make me want kids.

Someone I had thought of as a good friend was initially there for me during the breakup. She saw how painful it was for me to end a relationship with someone that I had loved in every way except for the one thing I couldn’t compromise on.

And yet, when I scheduled a sterilization appointment that year, she freaked out and pulled this bullshit on me about how I would probably change my mind and want kids when I was truly in love with the right man. It was one of the rudest and most unbelievable things someone had ever told me, especially given the circumstances. She is no longer my friend, and I am now sterile and in a happy relationship with someone who dislikes kids even more than I do.