Can asexuals have maternal instincts?

[MishMeesh]

That doesn't sound weird to me at all! I'm not sure whether I ever want children or not, but whenever I do imagine a future with a child, it's always just me and a child with no specific ideation of a potential SO. I've always been very open to the idea of adopting a child, which would likely be the route for me. I think if money and time were no object, I'd be a lot more open to taking on the commitment of raising a child. I'm not sure whether my career path will give me enough financial stability to live comfortably while raising a child alone.

My maternal instincts haven't really had a chance to show themselves. I'm the youngest in my family so I've had very little experience looking after little ones besides being around my friends' little siblings occasionally. Yet I don't doubt that my maternal instincts would kick in when I'm solely responsible for a child.

[McKinley]

And I really hope that I don't sound like I'm jumping down anyone's throats, or that I'm being nit-picky, and I certainly don't want to start an argument or anything--I really hate conflict, but.....

Every woman seems to have maternal instincts, not just asexuals.

I believe it is natural for all women to one day want to have kids of their own.

.....I thought that it would be good to point out that not all women have maternal instincts or the desire to have children. Some women never want children and that's totally okay, too. Some women are not motherly and never will be, and that's fine, also. Saying that it's "natural for all women to one day want to have kids" or that "every women seems to have maternal instincts" seems to imply that it's "unnatural" or "abnormal" when a women says she doesn't want children. I know you both were trying to be comforting to the OP (your posts were really great otherwise! ^_^ ) and you weren't deliberately trying to suggest these things. I just wanted to point out that certain phrasing can be a bit...alienating?...to some women, and I thought that, as a female who doesn't want children herself, it was important to say a little something... (Please don't get mad at me for pointing this out! :redface: )

Thank you! Very well put.

[GoldenaLy]

I am aromantic and I want to have a child. I think I will have decent maternal instincts. Just because I don't have romantic feelings towards a man or a woman, it doesn't mean I'm incapable of love. I don't mean to sound cocky, but I think (I hope) I'll be a good mother if things work out and I am able to have a child.

Like other people have said, neither romantic nor sexual orientation determine your desire for kids or your ability to possess maternal instincts.