>>509834142 (OP)I have 2 kids and had them in my 30s. I traveled to 42 countries in my 20s and had my fun.
The first 18 years of your life are basically a write-off; you have no agency. Once you're a young, attractive and energetic young adult, mainly after college unless your parents bankroll your lifestyle, that period only really lasts until your 35, or 40 at most if you have great genetics and take care of yourself.
Then, once you hit 40, you realize that you have ANOTHER 40 YEARS TO GO BEFORE YOU DIE, or roughly double the time between college and you turning 40.
Thats a lot of time to be lonely, uncool, no longer attractive, and just overall pathetic because most people your age are finding fulfillment in their family lives while you're still looking to party and travel. You look like a loser that never got it together.
If you're a man, there's still hope if you're successful. At this point, you better have a business and at least a mid 7 figure net worth to basically escape the 40-something childless loser classification. Family puts a big hamper on your earning potential if you go the entrepreneur route, hell, I have a business and I've given up a lot of opportunities because I can't be away from my wife or kids for extended periods of time. If you're a 40+ guy and don't have a storied life by then, your next 40 years on this earth are really gonna suck.
And if you're a 40+ woman without kids, well, you're just cooked. Nobody wants you unless you become a bang maid for some old boomer. You will eventually just be popping anti depressants to keep yourself from roping.