Personal/Serious | The Choice to be Childfree

Google images: Parenthood to me is just another version of keeping up with the Jones' and I can't buy into it.

Throughout a large chunk of history, a woman's main civic duty was to

A.) give birth and 
B.) raise a family

Even today, 20-something's are often viewed skeptically if they have the pluck to say; 

"I'm not sure if I even want kids, like, ever." 

As a young woman myself, I have experienced my fair share of odd glances for stating my preference to remain child-free. 
I've been told by men and women that my "biological clock will start ticking" or that "I'll change my mind" at some point. 

I really wish I had consulted the all-seeing knowledge of these people sooner. They clearly have such easy access to my inner thoughts, they may as well be fortune-tellers. I wish I could predict a person's future with such accuracy...

I digress. Seriously, I've met pretty much complete strangers who have inquired about whether I was going to give birth any time soon. 

Hmm. So from personal experience, I'd say that women are still expected to want babies while they are "young." 

More often than not though, having children inevitably means sacrificing autonomy, carefree independence and a massive amount of money...speaking of which. 
Despite going to university and accumulating student debt, my parents have also casual mentioned the idea of starting a family recently. 
Despite, you know, being a penniless student. It's probably an innocent enough question, but still. 

Anyhow. 
Thanks to the intervention of that pesky feminist movement a couple 'o' decades back, freedom of choice is a thing that a lot of women now greatly appreciate. 

Granting women access to the vote, the public workplace and higher education was a tremendous step in the right direction, to be sure. 
But for some reason, people as a whole can't seem to shake off the idea that all women are "potential mothers," first and foremost. 

Just so that there are no hurt feelings, I'll type the following out in caps.

>>THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WOMEN WANTING TO HAVE CHILDREN. IF THAT IS WHAT SAID WOMAN AND SAID WOMAN'S PARTNER WANTS, THEN THAT IS FINE.<< 

However, I am definitely under the impression that lots of girls may end up having children simply because they feel that "its just what a women is supposed to do." Or they are unsure about what they want, so they end up having children and regretting it later. 
It's not a crime for a woman to say, "I know I f*cked up. I love my kids, but deep down I know that I'm really not built to be a mother."

Look, I actually don't mind kids myself. Really. Children can make me laugh. They can be endearing, funny, loving and surprisingly insightful ... Sometimes.

They can also be loud, rude, spiteful, bickering little toe-rags that drink up your life essence like mini Count Dracula's. (FYI, I've traveled on public transport enough to know what I'm talking about folks).

I wholeheartedly believe that the so-called "best parents in the world" will go through the tedious experience of dragging their bawling child wildly through the middle of a super market at least once. 

And I haven't even mentioned the teenage years yet. I won't go there, I swear I'll start having PTSD flashbacks. 


So I guess if I could say anything it would be this. Ladies, you have a choice. You don't need to have children to be a happy, fulfilled and well-rounded person. We live in a overpopulated world that really, lets face it guys, doesn't require any more people anyway. So it's no big deal.