This is personal but it’s something I really don’t see talked about.
Being aroace and realising you potentially want kids in the future can feel so incredibly daunting. It can feel like two aspects of you that just can’t coexist practically as there is no precedent there.
Not wanting a partner in the future obviously makes ‘standard’ conception a bit difficult but also basically bars you from adopting (at least where I live). And alternative methods of conception come with their own multitude of challenges.
And then there’s the feeling that you’d never be able to do it on your own. Single parenting carries its own social stigma, regardless of the situation that leads to it. There’s an unjustified but unfortunately still present feeling; Are you being selfish? Would it be unfair? And not to mention what family (or anyone else) would say about you choosing to raise a kid alone. You know it shouldn’t matter but it does.
It also feels difficult to reconcile it with your identity, even if that sounds strange. Wanting kids is so scarcely mentioned in aro/ace circles. It goes against the ‘happy on my own’ narrative. Having kids is implied to be another aspect of the amatonormative culture that we reject. But that isn’t always the case.
I don’t really have a conclusion to this, I just wanted to get some thoughts out. It’s quite personal and it’s late at night so things may not be worded perfectly. That said, I welcome any other perspectives on the topic.