It's interesting how much life really changes as we get older. When we're young -- say, in our late teens and early 20s -- we have ample time for ourselves, but not much money to make the most of that time. Once we hit our 30s -- the time when we typically settle down to start a family and are more established in our careers -- we find ourselves on more solid footing financially, but with much less time available than we had in our post-high school years. It isn't until the kids move out for college that we transition back to a life where we can focus more on ourselves and our interests, but by then, those interests tend to be radically different than the ones we enjoyed when we were younger. It's no surprise more and more couples are waiting longer to have kids -- or are opting not to have them at all.  Perfectly content with their sans-kids lifestyle, such couples are in no hurry to go from a life of unfettered freedom to baby bottles and Dora the Explorer. ...

Several of my high school colleagues are popping out babies as if it were a competition. Even a good number of my co-workers have a bun in the oven. I've never seen so many pregnant women at the same time. There must be something in the water! This is in stark contrast to all the reports I come across about the birthrate going down and how people are waiting longer to start a family. My wife and I definitely fall into such a group. We want to spend a couple more years traveling and enjoying our marriage before we contemplate having one of our own. Indeed, having kids is a life changer, and for the time being at least, we're trying to make the most out of living sans children. A friend and ex co-worker of mine, who had her daughter 14 months ago, told me a few weeks back that raising a child is far more taxing than she'd ever imagined. To my surprise, she sent me a text about two weeks ago inviting me to yet another baby shower -- this time for a boy that's due ...