1. "You'll change your mind."

This is by far the most popular response, and by far the most irritating. Don't tell me what I will and won't do with my life. Sure, I'm 22, and I don't know where I'll be in 10 years. If I do change my mind, great. But I don't need anyone implying that my thoughts are not "normal."

2. "You're going to end up with so many kids."

No I will not, and this GIF describes it all. I'm one of those people that hears a baby screaming in Walmart and walks the other way. Kids in the dining room of a restaurant? I will ask the server to sit us away from them. If I don't see myself having even one, why would you suggest that I will want several?

3. "What's wrong with you?"

I went on a coffee date with someone about a year ago, and they said, "you are destined to have children because you are a woman." Needless to say, that date didn't last much longer. I hate when people ask me what's wrong, as if they're implying that I have some sort of glitch in my system because I don't have these intense maternal instincts.

Also, if you ask someone who happens to be infertile, I promise you that they will be thinking about your question the rest of the week. I know a few people that are not able to bear children, and a few have expressed their discomfort when people ask why they don't want to have kids. Newsflash: it's none of your business.

4. "But you would be such a good mom."

Did you ever consider I may not want to have kids because I don't think I would make a good mom?

5. "It might be a mistake, but it'll happen."

Um...yikes? Think before you speak.

6. "You could always adopt."

This is the least annoying one, but it still irks me. Yes, I have considered adopting because I believe there are so many children in this world who are deserving of love but might never escape the system. But suggesting adoption isn't the appropriate response for those women who tell you they don't want kids. Not wanting kids means not wanting kids, physically or through adoption.

7. "That's selfish/shallow/self-absorbed."

I want to travel the world. I am career-focused. I have a lot of things I want to do with my life that do not include a child. It is not selfish, self-absorbed, or shallow to take care of yourself and your needs before moving onto the needs of others.

Many people have asked me if I don't want kids because I'll "lose my figure" or "mess something up down there." Um...no! I am so proud of those women who endure pregnancy and embrace their bodies after childbirth, and I like to believe I'd do the same. So no, it's not about losing my figure. And even if it was, there isn't any problem with that. Because guess what? It's MY body. I get to choose what I do with it.

8. "You'll meet someone who will make you want to have kids."

I have a wonderful boyfriend who I love very much, and I think that if he were to become a father, he would be one of the best. But one of the FIRST things we found out about each other was the fact that neither of us want kids. This is something I bring up pretty early in a relationship if I can tell it's going to be long-term. It might catch the guy off guard or seem a little weird, but I don't really care. I would never want to deprive a man of having a family. Me expressing the fact that I don't want children, even just a couple months in, gives them a chance to get up and go without any hard feelings.

You should NEVER enter into an engagement, much less a marriage, without talking to your partner about having kids. If one of you doesn't want kids, the other must be ok with that. That doesn't mean that the person might one day change their mind, but you can't spend the marriage trying to convince the other to have kids. That's just unhealthy.