Comments on: giving the rest of us a bad name

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:02:28 +0000

I agree it’s out of line. But I can imagine the frustration as it seems to be perfectly okay for so many to judge women who are child free. The assumptions and speculations that people make about my personal life are appalling – people would never say such things about other areas of my life, but somehow it’s okay? And it’s 99% mothers. So yeah, people like that give childfree women a bad name, but I can understand the frustration – we’re going against an enormous tide.

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:41:06 +0000

Yeah, I don’t get it. I’ve read some poisonous stuff online about people who have chosen to be childfree and all I can do if fall back on that general idea that they have “Issues” because both my siblings have chosen to be childfree and they just don’t feel the need to spout any kind of stuff about it! And in fact my sister’s partner is a wonderful godfather to my son.

By: gerix

gerix — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:02:51 +0000

I like yr blog, Jen. Sounds like something about the childfree lady irritated you. Also, I noticed how she doesn’t like running.

By: Amity

Amity — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:18:43 +0000

Thank you for saying this. There is so much of this crap floating around out there. It’s like it’s suddenly become “cool” for some women who don’t want children to call kids horrible names (names they would NEVER call any adult), insult parents by insinuating they are all brain-dead, sleep-deprived, self-centered babymaking machines and talk about how much more fabulous their lives are just because they can get up and go without packing a nappy bag. It’s so mind-numbingly boring, this ‘revelation’. Just like no one thinks you’re special when you reproduce, nor should anyone think they’re special just because they don’t.

There was a real gem in the Times last week by Rachel Cooke, saying that mothers are inherently boring. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/08/motherhood-children-babies Me thinks she doth protest too much.