Two things.
1) I'm sure that various people in here have had to deal with annoying relatives or friends bingoing them, after you've announced you're childfree. I, however, have had it the other way round from my mother. We were driving back from one of her mates' parties, talking about having children, and at one point she said, "I'm glad you're not having kids...I really can't see you with children." She's always been OK about my childfree-ness, but even so, hearing her say that (and not in an insulting way, like those idiots who say, "OMG, I hope you NEVER have children, you foul child-hater!") made me very happy. Anyone else had this?
2) I know also a lot of you are pagans, but is anyone here Jewish or Christian? I ask cos those two religions are very family-centric - just look at those sites like Quiver Full and Above Rubies! - and I was wondering how you reconcile your beliefs with being childfree. In Orthodox Judaism in particular, women are encouraged to have kids - I'm a Reform Jew, and we're a bit more liberal - and I was originally looking at converting into the Orthodox stream, as my mum's family are only ethnically Jewish, and I was told that as a religious Jewish woman, I would be expected to have children. Fuck that. The way I see it, I can be a good Jew without having kids, by doing good deeds in other ways; giving charity, helping out in the synagogue, observing Shabbath, etc. I am doing the world a favour by not bringing unwanted children into it, and moreover, although G-d told us to go forth and multiply, that DOES date back from when He'd just created the world and wanted people to populate it. (Incidentally, someone posted something similar in weirdjews and I thought me and gobbythegoblin were going to be the only childfree people in there, and I was amazed how many other people didn't want kids.) But have any of the Jewish or Christian members had problems with other people of their faith over being childfree?
2) I know also a lot of you are pagans, but is anyone here Jewish or Christian? I ask cos those two religions are very family-centric - just look at those sites like Quiver Full and Above Rubies! - and I was wondering how you reconcile your beliefs with being childfree. In Orthodox Judaism in particular, women are encouraged to have kids - I'm a Reform Jew, and we're a bit more liberal - and I was originally looking at converting into the Orthodox stream, as my mum's family are only ethnically Jewish, and I was told that as a religious Jewish woman, I would be expected to have children. Fuck that. The way I see it, I can be a good Jew without having kids, by doing good deeds in other ways; giving charity, helping out in the synagogue, observing Shabbath, etc. I am doing the world a favour by not bringing unwanted children into it, and moreover, although G-d told us to go forth and multiply, that DOES date back from when He'd just created the world and wanted people to populate it. (Incidentally, someone posted something similar in weirdjews and I thought me and gobbythegoblin were going to be the only childfree people in there, and I was amazed how many other people didn't want kids.) But have any of the Jewish or Christian members had problems with other people of their faith over being childfree?