“I miss when my mistakes only affected me.”

I'm an Associate Editor on BuzzFeed's Pop Culture team who spends my days fangirling over all my favorite TV shows and movies.

Some entries are also from this thread. 

Some submissions deal with topics like sexual abuse, drug use, and suicide.

"She had no education, so no job prospects. Every penny my wife made for three years went to feed her daughter and her kids. My wife chose suicide when she couldn’t take the pain anymore. I’ve been supporting my stepdaughter for 12 years and counting. The only saving grace is that her kid, my step-granddaughter, is turning out to be a good person. Maybe we’ll break the chain. It was a wise person who said, 'Never have children — only grandchildren.'"

"No one prepares you for the fact that this child you wanted so badly, loved so dearly, sacrificed so much for, will turn into such a nightmare. That they can cause such heartache that you lose all hope of ever having a decent relationship with them. That they might make a mistake so drastic that they cannot survive it.

And then, because you’re the mom, you will carry unbearable guilt the rest of your life. And you can’t even talk about it because everyone blames you. No matter how you parented, no matter what you did or didn’t do, whatever your child does is your fault, even when they’re 20, 30, 40 years old or older."

"Had I known this is how parenthood was going to be for me, I 100% would not have had children. But I can’t turn back time, so I just go through the motions. I hate myself for this."

"I was raised very religious; not only were we pressured to get married as early as possible, but we were also pressured to have children as early as possible. There was no time for thinking, only time to obey and have faith it would work out.

Thankfully, I am no longer religious, and my kids aren't either because I refuse to do that to them, but either way, I still have children if I thought about it or not."

"Plus, it's wrecked my marriage. I know that's on us, but I couldn't have predicted just how much it would change things. My spouse and I used to bond over going out and doing fun stuff together. It wasn't until we had children and had to stop doing that stuff that I realized we basically never speak unless we're actively engaged in an activity. Sure, we can go out and do stuff together, but the focus is now on the children rather than on each other and what we're doing together. I don't really want to be married anymore, TBH.

None of this is the children's fault, so I just try my hardest to be the best person I can be for them."

"I miss my freedom. I miss not having to plan to leave the house around nap times, diaper changes, and her mood that day. None of the 'benefits' of having a kid are worth the downsides. She is so cute, but it doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't fill the cup that I can pour back into her. I've done every type of therapy, medication, meditation, and mindset shift possible, but it all leads back to the same conclusion: I hate being a parent, and I hate that I allowed myself to be pressured into it.

I tried asking my husband to let me give up my rights, but he refused. I'm stuck. This isn't the life that I built for myself; that was taken away from me. I had so much potential, and a child ruined that. Even if I can leave eventually, I'll never be the same. That's been hard to come to terms with."

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.