Rebecca in Baby Land

I never stopped to consider what would happen to my life with my friends when I made the conscious decision not to have children and made that a permanent state of affairs. Fortunately for me, I am even more firmly rooted in the correctness of that decision for me - thank God as there is no going back now for me at any rate. I am following the call of other instincts and my deep rooted desire for a brilliant career filled with places and people that I am sure that I have yet to only stretch the far reaches of my imagination to. However I wonder now & then what it will mean for my friendships. I found out today that another of my closest friends is expecting (I am really very very happy for her!!) and there is of course Leah. The substance of the friendship has not really changed - I am so lucky in the friends that I have and the people in my life. It still doesn't answer the question of what our lives will all look like in 5 years - mine without children and their with. Will the friendships remain unchanged save for a few necessary modifications, or will our familial statuses respectively bring unheralded change? It is inevitable that the progression of our lives is going to be affected by these choices - but what does that mean for the future of our relationships together? I love my friends - I don't mean to cling to them and I respect the changes that happen for all of us because they let us grow, but it certainly makes me think a lot.