Reflections on Nikah, Parenthood, and Today’s Choices

Assalamu Alaikum everyone 🙂 I’m doing some thinking and research for a class about psychology and relationships, focusing on today’s views on nikah (marriage), family, and personal decisions. 1. Why do you think many people today hesitate to get married or have children? 2. If one spouse wants to get married but does not want kids, while the other does, how would you handle that? 3. How would you feel about marrying someone who is divorced and already has children? 4. What if both husband and wife are divorced with children and want to remarry, but one does not want more children? How would you approach that? 5. What if a woman chooses to marry but prefers not to have children and just wants to care for pets instead? Personally, I’m not ready for nikah or children right now. The main reason I hesitate about nikah is because many marriages today face difficulties-fear of divorce, emotional hurt after separation, or not meeting each other’s expectations. I also don’t feel emotionally prepared and want to do many things on my own first. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind about nikah, but even then, I’m unsure about having children because I worry if I’ll ever be ready emotionally to be a mother. I worry about raising a child alone if the marriage doesn’t last or how to explain to them why their father isn’t present. I also fear that if I remarry, my future spouse might not treat my children kindly or that my in-laws might judge me, or that I may never remarry at all. There are so many uncertainties. One more thing-my family doesn’t pressure me. My mother says I’m still young for marriage (even though I’m almost 30 😅), and my father is fine whether I marry or not. In our culture, it’s also common not to marry early. I’d love to hear your thoughts from both brothers and sisters. Maybe someone else feels the same or has similar questions. I mean no disrespect-just genuinely want to learn and understand your experiences and views.