Is it OK to Not Want Kids?
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March 18, 2021
The answer to the popular question seemed to be moving toward “yes.” Then celebrities started popping out kids like they were accessories and adopting like crazy. Then I noticed that Facebook.com turned into omgimpreggers.com. And then Rick Santorum and other extreme conservatives began speaking out against birth control and abortions. Now I’m beginning to wonder…am I a part of the minority when it comes to having children?
Since the beginning of time, it seems the main goal for women has been to reproduce and sustain human existence. It hasn’t even been asked as a question until recently; it was simply assumed that every woman would have children and be happy about it. But does every single human really have to create more humans? Don’t we have enough already?! With feminism has come a lot of attention on this topic and it has not been well received.
Kids were all I wanted when I was child. I cared for dolls like they were real babies and planned out my life as a stay-at-home mom. But as I grew older, I realized there was a hell of a lot more to life than just being a wife and mother. Cheers those that are fulfilled doing that, but why should I be looked down upon if I don’t feel the same? Why does it have to be such a big deal?
One great example is Chelsea Handler. She has made headlines by being a single, kid-free woman and some people just can’t accept it. She gets asked about it in interviews far too often and is called a “bitch” for stating her opinion. Friend and fellow celebrity Jennifer Aniston is also constantly in the press with rumors of depression due to not having kids. It is so sad that just because a woman is childless, she is assumed to be depressed and lonely.
The fact is, some women don’t want to have children and they know it. If you ask me, that is far better than getting pregnant and having a kid because that is what is expected. Why not just live vicariously through a friend or sibling? At least you’ll be able to escape when a tantrum begins…
All I’m getting at is this: Shouldn’t having children be a choice for women as opposed to an assumption?
March 19, 2012 @ 1:08 pm
We’ve yet to see an age of complete gender equality!
March 19, 2012 @ 4:32 pm
Who knows if we ever will!
March 19, 2012 @ 1:46 pm
Very well said!! Having children should only be considered by those ready to accept the enormous responsibility of taking care of them. You need to be physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy to provide the nurturing, love, and attention that children need during their upbringing and even later in life!!
March 19, 2012 @ 2:15 pm
Thanks! Too many people these days just do things because they are expected to and don’t really think it through.
March 19, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
I definitely agree with you. Not everyone needs to have children because lots of people are having three or more. It’s ridiculous to do something just because society expects you to.
March 19, 2012 @ 7:42 pm
Yes, I feel like people just do it because they think they’re supposed to. Ever hear the question “Do you want kids?” from your family? It’s usually “WHEN do you want kids?”. That’s not right!
March 22, 2012 @ 4:34 pm
It’s fine if you can support them but when you expect everyone else to pay for your 7th child because you can’t afford them then no. Especially when people start saying it’s their ‘human right’ to have kids.
March 22, 2012 @ 5:00 pm
I totally agree!!