Are parents missing out? MN without children

[Sequinppigeon]

Inspired by another thread, but really not meant with malice... Do you think parents are missing out by having children?

Do they remove themselves from
opportunities or experiences for example?

Although they experienced child free life before having them, one you have them you don't get childfree life again. Especially not initially, and you're always a parent.

Can they really know what it would be like to have children and therefore what they are committing themselves to?

Just wondering how child free people feel as a counter to this well worn idea that we are some how missing out or lacking.

Of course I understand the difference (you don't need to patronise me) but the original post didn't specifically say this, it was talking about people who are "childfree" well, I have been childfree, whether that was by choice or not wasn't relevant to the original post. Do you understand me?

It's very clear that she meant that if in someone's company, she walked round all day with earphones in, they'd be put out. Yes, I'd have something to say if invited my friend for an afternoon somewhere and they spent the whole time actively disengaged unable to interact with you, when you've taken the time to spend the afternoon with them. It's rude. As you well know.

But no, obviously it's "alarm bells ringing for a controlling partner".

but the original post didn't specifically say this

It’s in the title of the thread! MN without children 🙄

No, that's not clear at all... That's a real reach. She was specifically speaking about her partner, nobody mentioned listening to music and ignoring friends. And the PP who mentioned that she enjoys listening to music also didn't say she had headphones on in company. You're inventing stuff.

Also stop badgering @MrsDanversGlidesAgain . I note you've pointedly ignored my past post where I copied and pasted the dictionary definition of 'childfree'. Spoiler alert, it means 'not having any children'

It's not a real reach at all. Partner/friend, matters not. Same principle, again, as you well know.

Well, if someone is going to keep lying about what's being said and aggressively attacking people on that basis, they should explain why, when no one has actually said what she keeps claiming they have. Why make things up to attack?

Yes, I appreciate your definition. And it still makes no odds, I am "not having any children" this weekend, I am child free. Why is it you can't respect my use of the word, whilst I can respect yours?

Well..would you look at that. How convenient you cherry picked a definition to suit you.

I just typed in "definition of child free" and this came up. Google. First result. It can be used in BOTH circumstances.

A person without children.

An event where children are not present.

I feel like in black mirror episode here now😂

This board is for people who don’t have children though and specifies other posters must be respectful of that.

Absolutely. Most people are being respectful.

Calling someone out, who is not, does not affect that.

I know what it's like to be childfree, as I didn't have my first until I was 25

Ahh bless. You were childfree for about 5 min of your adult life. So obviously know what my childfree life is like at nearly 52 🤣

Hunni that's literally the definition I posted... I said you can have a childfree weekend, but you are not childfree. I'm done with you now, you bore me

That's not clear at all

Ok….

The parents are all here because they say they’re childfree or used to be childfree.

What if we started heading threads & OPs ‘SECTION FOR MNERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY NOT PARENTS AND DO NOT EXPECT TO BE?’

Would that get the point across when we want to discuss something purely from the point of view of women who have no offspring of any age or in any location? Or would we still get disingenuous posts calling us ‘goady’? Because this is getting ridiculous.

*What if we started heading threads & OPs ‘SECTION FOR MNERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY NOT PARENTS AND DO NOT EXPECT TO BE?’

Would that get the point across when we want to discuss something purely from the point of view of women who have no offspring of any age or in any location? Or would we still get disingenuous posts calling us ‘goady’? Because this is getting ridiculous*

I'll give you three guesses, which you probably won't need before getting the right answer; which is the posters saying 'well the DC are on holiday with their DF so I'm currently not a parent so I can post on the CF board if I want.'

Given the title of the thread literally includes MN without children, and people think that includes them because they will be "without children" a week next Tuesday for 2 hours, I don't think there is anything we can say which won't attract a certain type of poster

I don't think there is anything we can say which won't attract a certain type of poster
Agree with you about the certain type of poster the board appears to be attracting lately. As I said upthread, what are they getting out of this?

Are you actually saying, if someone said "I'm child free for the weekend" you'd say "no, I think you'll the weekend is child free, you're not". Or would you know perfectly well the widely used meaning being applied? In the real world.

Is there a particular reason you can post reams and reams about things people haven't said, but when called out on that, you have no response?

Why would parents who had a childfree weekend come on a board for people without children to tell them they were childfree for the weekend? If they weren’t on the board for childfree/childless people those people wouldn’t be telling them anything.

Hi folks

Can we get this thread back on track now, please? It has been derailed and strayed far from the original question.

The first comment on the post by the OP did not specify though, otherwise I wouldn't have commented, obviously!

You don't need to be so jumped up, let it go and chill out 🙄

She did, she specified ‘Just wondering how child free people feel as a counter to this well worn idea that we are some how missing out or lacking.’

@LilyMumsnet This has happened on multiple threads since we last asked for the board to be removed from Active. I would appreciate it if you could reconsider that decision. This is on the basis that:
• the tagline you’ve suggested as a way of ensuring that parents are respectful is not effective (either at signposting or at generating respect)
• the board had its name changed to remove the word ‘childfree’ in order to avoid these semantic arguments and they are still persisting

This thread is a mirror thread from one on the Parenting board. Childless/free posters on that thread were respectful and no MN intervention was required. The same cannot be said of many parents who come to this board from Active. The next step must be to remove the board from there, so posters are absolutely clear about where they’re posting.