Childfree By Choice

This entry was inspired by Woman Uncensored's entry.

People tend to glamourise the "childfree by choice" lifestyle, and overexaggerate the "scary" aspects of pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding & parenting when they've never experienced the latter!

1 ~ CFBC means more money & more freedom
I know a few CFBC couples. They're no better off than the rest of us. They have 2 incomes, but no extra money for those long, extravagant holidays they should be taking since they don't have the expenses that come with raising a child. Now that I think about it, the CFBC couples I know don't go very far at all when it's time to take a holiday. They stay in the U.S., generally staying within 1,000 miles from home, which isn't very far in America, especially on the West Coast.

2 ~ Not having children will keep me free from stretchmarks, scars & saggy breasts
Are people who choose to be childfree really any better off physically? I've seen the stretchmarks from weight gain & weight loss. I've seen the scars from accidents & surgeries. I've seen & heard the woes of not being able lose weight & the saggy breasts that come with weight loss, AND with getting older. Being a parent doesn't guarantee a "messed up" body, just as not being a parent doesn't guarantee a "perfect" body.

3 ~ Having a child ruins relationships
That's interesting. How many relationships have been ruined by the children? It's the adults who determine if the relationship is a good one & worth working for, not the child. If a child can ruin a relationship than maybe that relationship is destined to be ruined anyway, by any change, any challenge.

The CFBC couples I know have been together many years. So have we "breeders". My husband & I have been together for nearly 20 years. Almost all of my "breeding" friends & relatives are in looong term relationships. My grandparents, on both sides, for 50 years, one set with 4 children, the other with 9.

D'oh! I have a bit more to say but the phone is ringing...I'll be back!