Conceiving via sperm donor is “weird”??

Hi, I’m a newbie here so please be nice, but please be honest as well.

I’m a 36 year old single woman. I have no kids. I was married for 6 years. I’ve been divorced for 1 year.

I’ve decided to have a baby on my own and plan to conceive using a sperm donor. All totally legit, through a doctor, sperm bank, etc.

It’s a choice I've thoughtfully considered. I want to be a mom and I want to experience pregnancy and motherhood. To sum it up, my marriage sucked. I don’t think I ever should have married my ex-husband. At the very least, I should have divorced him much sooner than I did.

I’m not bitter about men or love. I hope to find the man of my dreams one day, but I’m not looking for him right now. Towards the end of my marriage I craved so badly to just be single and on my own for a while and I’m absolutely loving it right now. I’m happier than I’ve been in over a decade. I don’t want to be in a serious relationship with a man right now. I also don’t want to risk feeling rushed due to my biological clock, settle for another dud, and then lock myself in by having a child with somebody. I’d want to be with a man for a long time before I committed to marriage or a family with him and I don’t have the luxury of time right now.

Yes, I know plenty of women have children at 40+. I don’t want to have a baby when I’m over 40 years old. And who knows? I may not get pregnant easily once I start trying, so I want to build that extra time in just in case.

I have a stable career at a workplace that is so pro-woman, pro-motherhood and family, so flexible, great benefits. I make more money than I’ve ever made before. I’m not rolling in dough but I am able to support myself just fine. I’m comfortable. Plus, when my ex husband and I divorced we sold our house that we bought right before the market boom and we walked away with a large profit that I’ve invested and am saving.

Still, I’m a single person. They say it takes a village, right? I was a bit nervous to share my decision with people. I don’t know anyone, single or not, who has used a sperm donor. But I want to know I have support of my family and friends. Not that I expect them to raise my child, but I want to know that there will be other people who will welcome and love my child, who I can count on if I need them, and who will care for my child if anything bad should happen to me.

Unfortunately, my mother and my grandma don’t see it the same way. They find the idea "weird" and “unnatural.” Even after explaining my reasoning to them, they think I should wait and try to find a man soon so I can be impregnated “normally” and give my kid an actual father. This is a stupid idea and I will regret this choice, according to my mom.

I have friends and family beyond these two, but these are the two people I wanted the most support from. They’re the two women in my family that I’m closest to and their support is so important to me.

While I understand their perspective may come from a place of concern and tradition, I firmly believe that choosing the path of a sperm donor is the best option for me.

However, their disapproval is weighing heavily on me. I didn’t think this was seen as “weird” in the year 2024! The things they said and some of the words they used really made me feel sort of icky about my choice now.

Has anyone else faced resistance from family members when choosing alternative methods for conception? How did you navigate these conversations and find peace with your decision?