Replace the word “love” with “motherhood” and this is spot on how I’ve felt for much of my adult life. It can be very lonely being childfree but still wanting to find a committed, monogamous relationship with another person who doesn’t want kids. I’ve found over the years that few men are truly childfree, and the few who are often want nothing more than commitment-free sex. Worse, people will denigrate you by asking why even bother with a relationship if you don’t want kids, as if that’s the only point. Personally, I can’t imagine anything more bleak than a relationship where reproduction is more important than companionship.