Although there are many trial marriages... there is no such thing as a trial child.

Sheehy’s line contrasts the perceived reversibility of modern adult commitments with the irrevocability of parenthood. “Trial marriages” suggests relationships entered experimentally—cohabitation, short-term unions, or partnerships treated as provisional. Against that, “no such thing as a trial child” underscores that bringing a child into the world creates enduring moral, emotional, and practical obligations that cannot be undone without harm. The aphorism functions as a caution against treating reproduction as an extension of adult self-exploration: whatever uncertainty adults may tolerate in their own arrangements, a child bears consequences that outlast the experiment. It also implicitly critiques a culture that normalizes tentative commitment while underestimating the permanence of caregiving responsibilities.