I'm Child-Free By Choice, And I've Never Once Regretted It
I’ve been asked many, many times by strangers and colleagues why I don’t have children, but I’ve never been questioned by my family or friends. They know the headstrong, self-assured, goal-driven person that I am, and have always understood that if I say I don’t want to do something, it means I don’t want to do it. It’s not a fault in my personality, and it’s not because my husband isn’t right for me.I may not have had to justify my life choices to the people closest to me, but I have been expected to by random people that I meet on many occasions. It’s a rude and outdated question, as it comes with the assumption that all women are supposed to be maternal, with a desire to breed. This isn’t the case. My answer to them is always the same, cold, hard truth — children don’t fit in my life vision, and I actually find them quite boring. It doesn’t mean that I’m not motherly or that I lack a nurturing side; children have just never been a desire of mine, nor has the mapped-out life that comes with being a mother of a tiny human.Read MoreLet me DINK in peace.Sadly, mothers are still penalised in the workplace when it comes to things like promotion and career advancement. In the latest World Inequality report, women are shown to work more hours than men for a third (32%) less per hour, when you factor in most women’s daily hours of unpaid work doing household labour and childcare. Affordable childcare and workplace parental leave policies also stand in their way.What's more, I like my freedom and time to myself. I go on the holidays I want to go on, without having to drag a bored child around. I can spend two hours on my elaborate skincare and self-care routines, because there is no other demand on my time. I can go out at the last minute; I sleep through the night; all my money is my own; and I don’t catch the viruses and infections my nephews always have from their playground antics.All of these things that I treasure about my life wouldn’t have been possible if I’d had a child. Of course, being child-free by choice is a privilege, and I must acknowledge the unfathonable pain of those women who have had the decision taken away from them when it was something they wanted.But I look at my friends who have young children and little time for themselves, and I struggle to understand their decision. Yet I accept that they are as happy with their life as I am with mine. Just like they accept that I love my canine baby as much as they love their kids. There is no judgement between us, which is something a lot of people could learn from.Read MoreA new campaign is raising awareness of the dire state of paternity leave in the UK.
