A funny thing happened on the way to growing up...

At 21, I was pretty convinced that I was going to marry my high school girlfriend, have kids, and just get some job somewhere to live out the rest of my life. Honestly, it sounded amazing.

At 25, I was decently convinced that I was going to marry my (then) college girlfriend, move to a big city, and be a supportive husband/partner as both of us worked in our separate careers.

Now, at 29, whenever I hang out with married friends/couples I have an unending sense that I have somehow, in some way, been spared a major bullet by not getting married or having children (especially at my age). Even though the ideal of partnership and being a father is a fun thing to meditate on, when I get the actual up close and personal experience I usually come away with a feeling of "really? that's what all the fuss is about?"

I am neither anti-marriage nor anti-kid, but as I get older both things get profoundly less appealing. I still enjoy intimate relationships with the opposite sex, talking/interacting with kids, and hanging out with families, but I've really come into an understanding that the solo life is a wonderful thing for me.

Men who are decently sure they'll never get married or have kids, what convinced you?