Employed people can do that too. I suspect that people who are employed have higher impact on their non-work goals because they've learned to structure their time and prioritize more ruthlessly than people who don't have that pressure.

When my kids were young and I took a break from regular employment to be a stay-at-home dad I still ran a non-profit on the side. There might have been a couple stressful nights where both the wife and I had some deadline and we let the kids watch too much TV in the evening, but largely having kids didn't impact my ability to do this at all.

When I regained regular employment I did find I needed to pass the torch on the non-profit to keep my sanity, so there's something to the idea that society loses out when everyone needs a full-time job.

No mention of pets in the article, beyond the photo, so your comment is unnecessarily spiteful. I'm not a pet owner, nor a DINK for the record.

I think it's pathetic that you can't find meaning in your own individual life without creating a new human to live vicariously through.

Doubly pathetic that you can't envision any other way of thinking and experiencing life. Have you actually thought out and considered your position or is this simply a lazy knee-jerk opinion that you've had fed to you?

Awfully small minded and pathetic to think that your chosen way of life is the One True and Acceptable Way. It's a very immature mind that can't accept differing opinions and perspectives.

Your post covers a lot of ground, but I'd like to respond to one part of it:

IMHO: except in pathological situations, dogs truly love their owners.

You sound like someone who regrets having kids tbh

(coming from a happy parent and dog caretaker)

Wait... So because I chose a life of not struggling to raise a child and I love my dog; I'm pathetic? What a warped-ass world-view. Maybe I just have no desire to have kids and am enjoying the life not having children warrants me - including pathetically loving my dog. Eff off with your judgements of what I chose the path of my life to be. And, hey, godspeed on your struggle-bus. Apparently it warrants you some entitlements and status, or something...