The official Childfree on MN bingo card

[ItsNotRocketSalad]

We have 24 squares to fill. What lines get trotted out on every thread that discusses the child free?

My suggestions:

1. You'll need my children to be your carers when you're old
2. Only parents understand real love
3. Childfree people shouldn't take annual leave in school holidays

What a gorgeous frog!

Weirdly no one has ever said any of the above to me. Maybe they instinctively knew I'd be a shit mother 😂

You’re not a real woman until you have children

Has anyone on MN actually said that in words?

I’ve had it said to me in real life

My aunt told me that there was no point in me training to become an educational psychologist if I didn’t have children because how was I supposed to help them or know what to do? She kindly put his comment in a Facebook post on my wall…

My mother said exactly the same about her (childfree) cousin who was also training to be an educational psychologist. The fact that someone without children was accepted to do the training and was therefore deemed suitable passed DM by. She'd not have known what child psychology entailed if you'd pistol whipped her with Piaget.

It wouldn't have been so bad but DM wasn't always a shining example of parenting herself. Total ignorance never stopped her being an expert, though.

So have I.

Not MN but Serena Williams said that giving birth would make her a real woman

Now she wasn't saying that not having a child meant that you weren't a real woman but it does play into that whole concept

Then there are variations on it. "You finally become an adult when you have children" and "You're not a real family without children" said to married couples.

I’ve been told I’m ‘dodging adulthood’ by being childfree.

Despite my mortgage, caring responsibilities for elderly parents and job as a hospital consultant!

I’ve seen “it’s women’s purpose in life” on here. As well as “it’s what women were put on earth to do.”

I’ve also been told in real life that having a total hysterectomy must be doubly hard for me as I don’t have kids, whereas other women “at least have kids to remind them that they’re a woman”.

I wouldn’t say it’s a mainstream view or anything but it is said or heavily implied far too often.

Was this board made to talk about why you don't want kids or what?

For people who don't want kids you talk about them a lot.

Feel free to not read the board if you aren’t interested

Look at the magnificent tails! 😍

Amazing. Absolute overlords 😀

There was a time when women teachers had to give up the job if they got married. And in those days a woman teacher who had kids out of wedlock would presumably have got sacked, so the only women allowed to teach children were the ones without kids.

Cats crossed with squirrels?

Oh my that's magnificent!

I don't read the board.

Knowing you’re an overload.

I'm partial to hens that look like they are in pantaloons

I suspect so!

I love all these animals. I wouldn’t have pets but I wish I’d studied something to do with animals when I was younger so I could work with them in some way.

OMG i love fluffy chickens and hens!

So cute 🥰