Why does society care if people don’t want marriage and kids?

My boyfriend and I have barely been together six months and my friends are constantly asking when we’re going to get married and have kids. Although I know that they mean well, it doesn’t make it any less annoying. I have friends who literally ask every single time I meet them if my boyfriend and I are going to get married and have kids despite giving them the same answer every time. No my boyfriend and I don’t want to get married nor do we want kids. It’s like people can’t quite believe it hence the persistent asking.

I love my boyfriend and I’m excited for our future together, but marriage isn’t on the horizon. Neither of us feel that marriage is meaningful or important. We don’t feel the need to prove our love and commitment to others. We’re serious about one another and want a future together but we don’t need marriage to symbolise that. We also feel that marriage and weddings aren’t really about love but it’s more of a societal tradition and milestone.

As for kids, people have this notion that when you meet the right person, you’re desperate to have babies with them. In an ideal world it’d be lovely to have a child with my boyfriend but we know that it’s not practical or feasible. We’re both neurodivergent so we’d struggle with parenting far more than neurotypical couples. Furthermore we live in a society…