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Childfree Blogging Day
Nov. 15th, 2007 05:42 pmReaders of my journal who have been around for a while may well be scratching their heads right now. They are possibly musing aloud:
"Bob. Ummm...not to burst your bubble, but you have a kid. You don't qualify!"
They would be absolutely right.
I have a son, affectionately known as Smog, who will be nine next Friday.
"So, ummmm....Bob....and not to be rude, but why the hell are you blogging about being childfree? Really kind of none of your business, isn't it?"
That kind of attitude is, unfortunately, exactly the reason I AM blogging about it.
If parents aren't proactive in supporting people who choose to be childfree, this world is headed for disaster.
Most countries are overpopulated. Fuel costs are rising. Social Security is in shambles. Pollution is destroying our world. Things are not looking good for our great green planet. People who have no business having children are popping them out in herds. With all of that taken into consideration, why would we try to force people to have children who have no desire to do so?
The answer, of course, is that we shouldn't.
Not that I truly need to know your motivations for being childfree. Perhaps you are globally altruistic. Perhaps you are concerned about passing on a genetic illness. Perhaps you simply know, in your heart, that you would not be a good parent. I won't second guess your choice, no matter the reason behind it.
Here is my pledge:
I, as an adult and as a mother who would like there to be a world left to leave to her son, will fully support the rights of adults NOT to have children.
I will support your right to access the birth control of your choice, up to and including permanent sterilization.
Once you have told me that you choose to be child free, (I'm not a mind reader, after all!) I will never insinuate that you will change your mind or try to encourage you to reconsider.
I will make time to spend time with you without the kid around if at all possible.
I will be the best parent I can possible be, and raise my child to be a respectful and courteous citizen.
I will not demand censorship to protect my child, but will instead use it as a teachable moment so that he may learn to make responsible decisions.
I will not ask you to babysit unless the need is incredibly dire.
I will avoid bringing my child to non-child friendly events like concerts and plays unless he can comport himself correctly.
I will not assume that you hate children.
I pledge this to you, my childfree friends, because I support your decision.
As a kindness to me, I have a few requests. If you'd take them under consideration, I'd be grateful:
Please do not refer to children as "crotchdroppings" or "cuntmuffins". This only makes decent parents uncomfortable, and makes you appear intolerant. I, as a parent, find these slurs just as distasteful as "nigger" or "faggot". I agree that there are some parents (and in this case I use the term loosely) who are popping out welfare babies to cash a check. The fault lies with the parent, though, not the child, and the screaming child with the ear infection in the next booth at McDonald's today may be the doctor who is taking care of you in the nursing home 30 years from now.
Please don't lump all parents together as "breeders" or "moos". Negative population growth can be just as detrimental to society as overpopulation...the financial system was created so that the young support the old, and if there are no young, there will be no support for you in your old age. Furthermore, if you are reading this, it means that I'm incredibly glad your parents decided to have at least one child. Treat other parents as you would want your parents (or, if you don't care for your parents, the parents of your loved ones) to be treated. Your actions can influence how the childfree movement is viewed.
Are you required to do these things? Of course not! I'll still support your right to be childfree. I support the right of any consenting adults to have all the kinky (or non-kinky) sex in as many positions as possible as often as they like without the risk of pregnancy until or unless they choose to become pregnant.
I am not childfree, but I support my friends that are, and if my child chose to be childfree someday, I'd love my grandkittens and grandpuppies with all of my heart.
It is up to us now to make sure he has that choice.
(Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
naamah_darling for the tip on Childfree Blogging Day today. Read her entry here. For more information on being a Purple Woman, or a woman who is childfree despite societal pressures to procreate, visit here.)
"Bob. Ummm...not to burst your bubble, but you have a kid. You don't qualify!"
They would be absolutely right.
I have a son, affectionately known as Smog, who will be nine next Friday.
"So, ummmm....Bob....and not to be rude, but why the hell are you blogging about being childfree? Really kind of none of your business, isn't it?"
That kind of attitude is, unfortunately, exactly the reason I AM blogging about it.
If parents aren't proactive in supporting people who choose to be childfree, this world is headed for disaster.
Most countries are overpopulated. Fuel costs are rising. Social Security is in shambles. Pollution is destroying our world. Things are not looking good for our great green planet. People who have no business having children are popping them out in herds. With all of that taken into consideration, why would we try to force people to have children who have no desire to do so?
The answer, of course, is that we shouldn't.
Not that I truly need to know your motivations for being childfree. Perhaps you are globally altruistic. Perhaps you are concerned about passing on a genetic illness. Perhaps you simply know, in your heart, that you would not be a good parent. I won't second guess your choice, no matter the reason behind it.
Here is my pledge:
I, as an adult and as a mother who would like there to be a world left to leave to her son, will fully support the rights of adults NOT to have children.
I will support your right to access the birth control of your choice, up to and including permanent sterilization.
Once you have told me that you choose to be child free, (I'm not a mind reader, after all!) I will never insinuate that you will change your mind or try to encourage you to reconsider.
I will make time to spend time with you without the kid around if at all possible.
I will be the best parent I can possible be, and raise my child to be a respectful and courteous citizen.
I will not demand censorship to protect my child, but will instead use it as a teachable moment so that he may learn to make responsible decisions.
I will not ask you to babysit unless the need is incredibly dire.
I will avoid bringing my child to non-child friendly events like concerts and plays unless he can comport himself correctly.
I will not assume that you hate children.
I pledge this to you, my childfree friends, because I support your decision.
As a kindness to me, I have a few requests. If you'd take them under consideration, I'd be grateful:
Please do not refer to children as "crotchdroppings" or "cuntmuffins". This only makes decent parents uncomfortable, and makes you appear intolerant. I, as a parent, find these slurs just as distasteful as "nigger" or "faggot". I agree that there are some parents (and in this case I use the term loosely) who are popping out welfare babies to cash a check. The fault lies with the parent, though, not the child, and the screaming child with the ear infection in the next booth at McDonald's today may be the doctor who is taking care of you in the nursing home 30 years from now.
Please don't lump all parents together as "breeders" or "moos". Negative population growth can be just as detrimental to society as overpopulation...the financial system was created so that the young support the old, and if there are no young, there will be no support for you in your old age. Furthermore, if you are reading this, it means that I'm incredibly glad your parents decided to have at least one child. Treat other parents as you would want your parents (or, if you don't care for your parents, the parents of your loved ones) to be treated. Your actions can influence how the childfree movement is viewed.
Are you required to do these things? Of course not! I'll still support your right to be childfree. I support the right of any consenting adults to have all the kinky (or non-kinky) sex in as many positions as possible as often as they like without the risk of pregnancy until or unless they choose to become pregnant.
I am not childfree, but I support my friends that are, and if my child chose to be childfree someday, I'd love my grandkittens and grandpuppies with all of my heart.
It is up to us now to make sure he has that choice.
(Thank you to
naamah_darling for the tip on Childfree Blogging Day today. Read her entry here. For more information on being a Purple Woman, or a woman who is childfree despite societal pressures to procreate, visit here.)
