Posted on 03/04/2007 12:53:59 PM PST by SmithL
It was time for the "Childfree Landslide News." Christine Fisher leaned forward and announced this in a soft voice that would sound surprisingly strong when it aired as part of her weekly (at least on Mars, she says, where weeks are 13 days) online show, the "Adult Space Child Free Podcast." She had just put in a day at the pharmaceutical company where she works and was home in her Newark apartment, shoes off, with her husband flopped on a sofa reading in the next room and her two cats roaming underfoot.
She started the podcast, a medley of commentary, news and personal narrative, to reach an audience outside "diaperland" about a year ago. Fisher knew as early as third grade that she did not want children. She had no interest in games that involved playing house or cooing over babies. In the world of childfree men and women, she is what's known as an "early articulator." Now 32, she has had her share of friends who became temporarily unavailable or disappeared when they had kids. Even in the Bay Area, which Fisher finds one of the better places for childfree mingling because of its cultural diversity -- San Francisco has one of the lowest ratios of kids of any U.S. city -- it can be hard for the childfree to connect.
Her listeners are a far-flung demographic, with a few hundred of various ages mostly in the United States, but also scattered as far away as the United Arab Emirates, Norway and Uruguay....Then, in what's become her signature end to the show, she leaned into the microphone and said, "This is Chris the Fixed Kitty saying, 'Keep from breeding!' "
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
There are many other reasons as well, some of them painful to discuss. And a lot of people seem to feel they are owed an explanation when in reality, it's none of their business.
I don't mind being asked if I have children, but I draw the line at being asked why I don't.
The group that particularly "gets my goat" are the ones that say: "But how are you going to get by in your old age without children to support you?" In other words, they are admitting that they are in the business of producing little support mechanisms for their old age, and that has always struck me as selfish and a bit odd.
And thank you for the compliment. On threads like these, all I usually get are criticism and derision. But I wouldn't change any major life decision I've ever made. I did what was best for me, and if others don't like it, tough. I suspect that that might be your attitude too, but you're much too much the lady to say it.
"The world is overpopulated as it is - why do you think you need my offspring?"
I think this is a big part of so much confusion; the need to save the world is like wanting to be a fireman, it sounds so unselfish and full of promise until boredom sets in.
So it's okay if we don't have kids, as long as we don't look for any friendships with like-minded people, and as long as we are ugly, and as long as we don't date or get married?
It's not that we don't think we'll get old. We just don't think it's fair to burden family members with taking care of us. That's what nursing homes or home healthcare professionals are for.
True, some people change their minds. And I change my mind about lots of things all the time. I think that what bothers me, and Chris Fisher (I am assuming here, so sorry if she disagrees with me) is when people just assume that we absolutely WILL change our minds. I'm happy for you and wish you much success with your family. I'm now 42 and pretty darned sure I won't change my mind about this particular thing.
I'd like to be added to the FREERIDER pinglist, please.
There's so much going on here, I miss some things... like this:
"Hi Valerie,
This is Slim the Childless, and holder of the FREERIDER pinglist (a bunch of us who don't have kids) - see post # 68 for some of the members.
Here's the thread that got us started.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1590865/posts
It's pretty funny after we hijacked it.
Welcome to FR, hang out with the fun folks!"
Didn't realize Me and Wives 1 & 2 were Freeriders- cool, another group of miscreants to belong to. More here:
http://www.freedominion.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=933759&highlight=#933759
And merry miscreants we are!
Ummm, I think the point is -- she doesn't have to cook FOR anyone, just whenever she thinks it would be fun. Jealous?
Add me to the pinglist, please (watching people justify rude intrustions into other people's personal lives has the same fascination as a ghastly multicar pileup).
Done
Who'd want to procreate with a dingbat? Then you'd have dingbat kids.
Good grief....
This character is defensive in the extreme. Her chief gripe is about how friendships change when one friend has kids. Well, life does go on. That indicates to me that she expects friends to take the place of family. Which goes to show that there's a need in her heart for family, because it's a rare friendship that takes that place and few of us are that lucky that often in our friendships.
Asking about kids is no more rude than asking "What do you do for a living?"--
It's probably for the best that she doesn't reproduce.
I didn't see where her parents commented on whether they should've reproduced.
Why don't you post on DU instead of here?
Genetically every one of them is committing suicide.
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