But there's no guarantee your children would take care of you - or would be able to even if they wanted to. Adult children have their own lives and responsibilities, and even their own children, in many cases, and they don't spend their parents' aging years living with and providing 24-hour care for their parents (they often aren't qualified to). I agree that it's scary, but having kids can't be relied on to erase fears. I think some things will just be scary no matter what.