 (Nick Galifianakis for The Post) | Adapted from an online discussion. Dear Carolyn: I've been with my significant other for three years, and we are in our 30s. I have always assumed we were headed toward cohabitation, marriage and kids. Then the pandemic hit and it clarified multiple things for me. 1. I don't want to have children — I don't ever want to be as miserable as some of the parents I know, who seem on the verge of breakdowns right now. 2. I am not especially eager to live with my SO, and they seem to feel the same way — we decided against quarantining together and were happy as clams. That rules out the idea of a traditional marriage, since as I see it raising a family and living together are two of the most compelling reasons to get married. So … now what? Obviously, this will have to begin with a conversation with my SO, who I expect will feel about the same way. They have had the same revelation about not wanting kids. Where do we go from there? I have always believed that "anything that's not growing is dying," and I don't know how to wrap my head around a relationship that is going to stall out where it is right now. — Where Is This Going? | 
