I got married to Doug in 2005. I knew that we wanted to delay having children for a while, and I had tried pretty much every hormonal birth control method under the sun.
Marriage is a school itself. Also, having children. Becoming a father changed my whole life. It taught me as if by revelation.
I've seen mothers and children really being vulnerable in the refugee camps; it's supposed to be temporary, but they end up having children who have grown up in refugee camps.
I want to make words out of life. That's bigger than me. That's as big a creative force as - bigger than, for me, even having children. That felt more accidental - wonderful, but accidental.
My brothers and sisters started having children at a very early age, and I was just there all alone at one point, like, 'What do I do?' And I thought the only thing I can do is create mine, make my family, and I did that.
I have no regrets about not having children. I still wait for the pang of guilt, but I have none. I tune into the television show 'Nanny 911' occasionally which reminds me how much patience and love it take to be a good parent.
Having children has no bearing on the ability to be PM. I deeply regret that anyone has got the impression that I think otherwise.
Having children was a revelation - it's like going through a doorway, and everything is different forever.
I do not mind if a PM or leader of the opposition is single but if he or she chooses to dispense with marriage despite living with someone and having children, then I think that shows a contempt for marriage which sends an unfortunate message.
My mother had a very open-minded philosophy about having children: that they should be free to develop in their own way.
