This might be me being a total bampot, but I was curious.
If pro-lifers consider the child to start living from the moment of conception, does that mean they have to have a funeral if (god forbid) a pro-lifer miscarried? This is a genuine question as opposed to my usual outright sarky-ness concerning anti-choice people.

I never had a desire to have kids..not even when I was young.
Growing up I didn't care if I had baby  dolls, I just never cared.

Sure, lots of people have kids- but each time I see a friend of mine on facebook pop out a kid all I can think of is ''hey theres your life down the drain..'' Sure, gratz to them- you love a kiddo..but think of all the money and time that takes. Call me selfish but I'd rather get a cat.

I'm 22 now and I still am not interested. A lot of people around me have kids, some of my friends do, some don't. Most who don't eventually want to have kids.
I once dated a guy who had a kid, and it sealed the deal for me for no kids.

I met someone new who isn't interested in having kids either, and I think that is a huge bonus that he's not all ''well i want a family at some point of time''
Just remember peeps, just cause society says pop out babies, doesn't mean you have too- maybe one day you'll think otherwise, but if you don't it's no big deal either.
I'm glad I found this group.

Dear Little Girl Who Sat Behind Me And To The Right:

From what I heard from your parents outside later, you are almost eight years old. That comfortably puts you into about Year 1 at primary school.

This was probably your first funeral.

However. ( Cut because this got LONG. ) 

City elects eighteen year old mayor.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell these people were thinking.

I just found you guys in my random clicking through the vast internet. Now that all my friends are in thier 20s, all they can talk about is having kids, and I have no desire to even consider kids.

For a while I felt like a failure as a woman, because we're "supposed" to want to have children. I was actually really upset about this yesterday. Finally! A support system! Thanks a bunch in advance.

I was reading a BoingBoing post related to childfreedom, which wasn't all that interesting in itself (but I've linked it all the same, YMMV). But one of the comments was interesting to me - it addressed trouble I've had with both the bingo and the standard response I'm encouraged to give.

In response to the question of whether the childfree end up footing the bill for parents, and whether there are other equivalents that work the other way, commenter Moriarty, #17, said something that I thought worked really well:

"Well, broadly speaking, humans are generally productive during the middle parts of their lives, and nonproductive consumers during the beginning and end parts. Those in the middle therefore tend to support those at the ends, either directly or indirectly. (e.g., if you're a retiree living off a 401k, you're living off the labor of the productive workers in the businesses you own pieces of.) Inevitably we all end up supporting and being supported by those we aren't related to. If you have children you draw extra help from the general pool to raise them. If you don't have children, you are drawing help at end of life without having replaced yourself with more productive citizens. Eh, call it a wash."

Just wanted to throw it out there.

So I just joined this comm (which I stumbled across while sort of half-heartedly looking at the featured communities, got lost clicking links and landed here where I was pretty happy to find some sane people), and I'm not entirely sure how things work around here or what pisses everyone off or what. My name is Hannah but you're welcome to call me TikTac, Tikky, whatever ya like.

Anyways, I know you've all heard the "you'll change your mind" argument from people, I know I have, but the catch is that I'm 16. So I get it all the time - "OH HANNAH YOU'LL CHANGE YOUR MIND WHEN YOU GROW UP", "YOU'RE JUST YOUNG", "YOU'LL MARRY A GUY WHO WANTS KIDS", etc. This did kinda make me curious though - how old were all of you when you figured out you were cf? Did you know your whole life, did you have the OMG BABIEZZ!!! phase, did you just realize it one day? 

For me, I was never a big fan of kids (screaming crying pooping drooling ew ew ew), but I always sorta considered it up until I got into my teen years. Which is when mother nature's monthly gift started out and I wound up with cramps so bad I had to be doped up on hydrocodone (funny but dangerous) and eventually put on birth control just to help with the pain. And this made me think...if that's the sort of agonizing, life-ruining pain I have to go through just for the cycle...what the hell will childbirth be like? Pregnancy? Which lead me to thinking about my life. I'm a sorta lazy packrat, I'm squimish, I get headaches easy, I have trouble sleeping, and I have a nice array of anxiety disorders to think about. None of that felt like a good place to factor in a screaming, crying crap machine that would probably grow up to hate me. The life-long ew-factor of children was multiplied tenfold and here I am.

Anyways, blah blah blah blah rant. the TL;DR of this crap is again: when did you decide to be childfree? how old were you? etc.

Sorry if this has been asked 800000 times or if nobody cares or if I'm posting something stupid. I am a living, breathing embodiment of Socially Awkward Penguin.

Thanks for your time!

-Tikky

EDIT AGAIN: Erased the entire side note on my parents, since I can't seem to find a way to word it that doesn't make me sound like an annoying teenager (which apparently I am, but I digress). I think you'd just have to know my mom to understand why what she says annoys me.

Well...I am victorious!!! I am scheduled for surgery on February 5. I am getting Essure'd...I also talked to my doctor and asked if there was an option to sign/consent for a Tubal if he found the coils wouldn't go. He was down with that. :-) So, yeah....I'm on cloud 9 right now!!!!

I hate that newspapers always run a front page article about the first baby born in the new year. Does anyone really care? I don't. Is it news? No, it's not. Babies are born all the time and it's never newsworthy, regardless of what day it is or, for that matter, where the kid is born, be it in the hospital, on the freeway, in the bathroom during prom, etc.

Wonder where all the stupid baby names we've been seeing come from?

I believe I've found the fount from which such things spring...

http://www.babyzoink.com/

WARNING: PICTURE OF BABY ON EACH FREAKIN PAGE. >.<

Click on Create Names tab. Here's the first set I got:

Amaal
Heathea
Gillow
Maryn
Reginette
Johnnietta
Jaci
Gildo
Inese

Here's a second set of worse ones:

Corris
Aikole
Letina
Win
Alfret
Paro
Felecila
Cecilyn
Shirlyn

Post some of the horrific ones you find. As you can see they run the gamut.

Shopping at the mall! I needed work boots that fit, so why not. To Sears I go.

I find my boots (Lucky! The only ones in my size and the right color!) and wait in line. Now, the lady in front of me in line has her cell phone ringing. That sounds like a normal ringer, haven't heard one of those in a whi-- Wait a second. Was that... A baby crying? The ringtone was a soundbyte of a damn infant crying. For three solid minutes because she kept letting it ring.

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. THAT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THE STUPID DEFAULT NOKIA RINGTONE.

I was at Walgreens today. They had lots of baby t-shirts with sayings on them, including, "Lock up your daughters" (for your future rapist son?) and "My mom is hot!" (ugh.)

So, I'm watching TV and this commercial comes on for this show called Giulliana and Bill. Well, the commercial is all about the next episode--where Giulliana is trying to convince her husband they NEEEEED a baby.

He doesn't seem too thrilled from some of the clips. And she just goes through so much. She puts on one of those weird belt-things that you can wear to make you look pregnant, she brings in a baby to try and make him want one. In the end, he gives in, of course.

It disgusts me, though, since he doesn't seem interested in kids, at least right now. And, just... Ugh. Of course, the show is very likely to side with HER and practically foam at the mouth all, "OMG U SHUD HAZ BAAAAAYBEEEEEEZ!!1!!!11!1!!!"

...It seems even guys can't escape this stuff. I want to find this Bill guy and give him a huge hug and tell him that he shouldn't just give in to his wife if he doesn't want kids--now or ever. :/

Sorry if it's been posted before (i haven't seen it in the archives though)..made me giggle... so i though i'd share...( image behind the cut )

I was off for New Years Day, so I decided to treat myself to dinner at a fancy restaurant later that night, in hopes that I could just relax and have a nice and quiet dinner. A friend of mine who works at the hospital as a radiologist happened to be there with her husband (Who I'm also good friends with), so we decided to sit and have dinner together. We were just talking casually, when a family with an extremely loud kid comes into the room. The child must have been around 9-10 years old. That's not even the best part though. Around an hour into our dinner, the boy collapses on the floor. The parents must have thought he was choking, because I saw the waiter dash over there and give him the heimlich maneuver. Unfortunately, it looked like there wasn't anything in his throat. That's when I realized it was worse. My friend and her husband just look at me, like they expected me to go over there and help. Regretfully, I went over. I guess it was the right thing to do, only because I was probably the closest thing to an Emergency Physician sitting at the table. As to why I regret going, you'll just have to read on.

I go over there, and examine the boy with the family watching in horror. No pulse. The standard sign of a cardiac arrest. I start giving him CPR, but it isn't until somebody FINALLY brought a fucking AED that I was able to properly resuscitate him. Then afterwards, the mother comes out from the bathroom (I don't know why the fuck she was in there at a time like that) and sprints over to where I am, and asks me what happened. The kid interrupts my answer and says: "Moomy, my wibs hurt weally bad". Finally, an ambulance shows up in order to take this boy to the hospital. As I let the EMT's do their job, I started to head back to my table. I get tapped on the shoulder by his mother on the way. She looked FURIOUS and ready to explode on somebody. This is kind of how the conversation went:

Mom: WHAT THE HELL?!?! WHY DID YOU NEARLY BREAK MY BOYS RIBS???
Me: I'm sorry that happened, but CPR generally requires that you...
Mom: I DON'T CARE!! YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY THAT I'M NOT SUING YOUR SORRY ASS!!
Me: Excuse me...?
Mom: You heard me BITCH! Don't you DARE touch my child again!
Me: Look, I'm a doct....
Mom: I don't give a FLYING FUCK what you are, NEVER touch my child again you pervert!!!

*The mom, and the rest of the family dash out to the ambulance outside at this point, before I could even get a word in edgewise.*

So now I'm just standing there, with everybody staring at me. It was pretty awkward, but then I go back to my table...and things surprisingly go back to normal. Yeah, there were nosy people outside who wanted to see what was going on and whatnot, but the rest of us who stayed inside went back to eating. Eventually, people started coming up to our table and thanking me for helping that child, even though the mother was an ungrateful bitch for it. Unfortunately, I didn't want people thanking me as it was a constant distraction to me as I was eating. Maybe next time I'll go to McDonalds.

Mother's like that are usually a danger to themselves and their children. Heck, they shouldn't even be having children in the first place if that's what they're going to be like. Thus, another reason why I will never have children. =|

So a week ago I posted about how I was losing pay because I lost 4 hours of sick leave..while my mommy coworkers were given so much more freedom for being mothers. I spoke to my office manager and basically she will be giving me my money for those 4 hours lost and taking those 4 hours from my vacation (Considering I had 3 days of vacation). But...she said the only time they give "special" circumstances is when someone needs it...for example children.

The way I took the conversation is that she has more sympathy for someone with children. It still bugs the shit out of me that I am there everyday at 8:30 am, while my fellow mommy co workers roll in at 9:20am...but..I suppose when it comes down to getting a raise one day-hopefully they will see my diligence.

I'm tired of the special treatment they are getting-but I suppose that happens in every work place

I've been trying not to be bothered by this, but it's getting ridiculous.


( Marvel the idiocy )

Dear "friend",

when I see "*new mommy* has tagged you in a photo" and go to see it is in fact a picture of your still blood covered, naval stump, naked baby being weighed along with 98 other names of people "in the photo" I want to reach through the screen in back hand you.

Not only did you trick 99 or so people into seeing that. You tricked everyone else on their friends lists. I'm not sure how you think facebook works, but when you have a friend that's tagged in photo it shows up on your feed as "YOUR FRIEND was tagged in a photo!"

Now think about this for a second. This is a fractal fuck up on your part and you need your ass kicked in.

Edit: For those who seem to have a problem with this, I would like to point out that flames being against the rules is nothing new.

The rules have been updated; the "those unable to act like reasonable adults" has been clarified in the previous rule to include flaming, which is not tolerated. We've been pretty loose with this, but recent commenters have unfortunately made a clear notation necessary.

We know it's subjective and open to interpretation, but a good rule of thumb is that if you are cursing out or berating a poster, no matter how whiny, pointless, or stupid you think their post, you will generally fall under this rule and it will likely get you kicked out. The mods do not have to warn you individually or give you chances. Consider this post your warning.

This does not mean that this is a safe space or that you are not allowed to call out people who are behaving worse than the kids we complain about. If you post here, people will share opinions and they won't always agree. But it's not unreasonable to expect people to manage it without flames or personal attacks. It's one thing to say "I have to say you were acting like a jerk there" and quite another to say "You're a fucking asshole, moron. Go DIAF." (Generally the people who deserve the latter are trolls and we tend to shut them down pretty fast.)

The enforcement of this rule is entirely up to the mods; if you feel you have been unfairly banned, email the community box (not the mods personally) and we'll take a look.