No kids at 40

Has anyone read this link:

http://ask.metafilter.com/23158/No-kids-at-40

"I'm a 40-ish woman, intelligent, fun, interesting, married, a home owner, have a lot in common with women I meet. You like me when you meet me...why do you turn off when you learn I have no children?"

I think you get turned of by society because you choose not to go through 'shitty' lifestyle of having kids and people are jealous of you.

One of the first comments really floored me. The one where they say that one reason the childed might not like to be around her is because people who are voluntarily childless are like reformed alcoholics in that they talk about being childfree all of the time? PALEASE. When would we get a chance to talk about being childfree with the childed hogging up all of the conversation about Bratley's ADHD or Shitford's being scouted for a pro soccer team at age 8? I have worked with people for MONTHS who didn't know I was childfree for the simple reason that they never asked and I never volunteered it. Yet, I could identify any of their kyds out of a line up because of all of the pictures I had seen and could tell you their kyd's names and in some cases birthdates. Most childed people know very little if anything about any childfree people because they are too busy talking about themselves and their little miracles.

It's both of those things, for sure, plus chances are they think you're some freak or psycho - because there MUST be something seriously wrong with you if you haven't sprogged.

If you're single, it's even worse, because then the moos are afraid you're going to steal their huzzbands. Yeah, right - like we'd want your diaper-whipped, braindead duhs!

kidlesskim Wrote:
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> I have worked with
> people for MONTHS who didn't know I was childfree
> for the simple reason that they never asked and I
> never volunteered it. Yet, I could identify any of
> their kyds out of a line up because of all of the
> pictures I had seen and could tell you their kyd's
> names and in some cases birthdates. Most childed
> people know very little if anything about any
> childfree people because they are too busy talking
> about themselves and their little miracles.

Yea, I thought of that too. WE are the ones WITHOUT pictures of our kids all over the place, that's what they would call rubbing it in THEIR faces. You need to get some decoys. Put pictures of strange babies - make a COLLAGE of all these generic baby pictures from magazines and hang it in your territory where everyone can see it.

A long time ago, this friend of mine and one of her friends (I was supposed to be in on it but I was out of town or something) found a billboard that you could reach by climbing on the roof of a bldg. Eventually, a Kodak ad appeared with a picture of a baby's face, and they painted all around the picture in white and wrote "WARNING: PROCREATION MAY BE A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY" in black spray paint. I have a picture of it somewhere, but it was before digital cameras came out.

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"I have learned that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off is easy and fun as hell"

:eatu

There is no logical reason why any childed person would give a whiz about another's childfree's status. If anything, we don't offer a child who might excel hers in something, so hers has a better chance of being the center of attention. They should be grateful!

But people who conform out of fear who later see that others made independent choices due to a CF backbone realize that they lost the chance at a quiet, fun, interesting, less stressful life. Many don't even realize that CF IS even a choice. Then they are resentful. Then they overcompensate by praising their mediocre little cancer-curers/future burger-flippers as the most miraculous and rewarding thing ever.