Parents, do you judge young people are childfree?

Question

Like if a person is aged between 18-30, and they want kids or already has them, they're not judged or looked down upon. But if they don't want kids, like never, they deal with harassment and judgement because of their age.

People who want kids, they outnumber people who don't. So, do you judge young people who never want kids? I mean, its their life, not yours.

Answer 1

Oh, I doesn't matter to me.  I didn't have my child until I was 36.  I went through times of wanting kids, not wanting them.  It's a personal choice.  

My hope is that the decision to not have kids is their choice, but if their partner wants kids, you have to be up front and say no kids from the very beginning.

I married a guy who said he wanted kids, come to find out he really didn't.  We divorced, wish he would've told me he didn't want kids before.  That's a deal breaker.

I don't think any less of him for not wanting kids.  I think less of him for not being honest with me about it.

And, my child is not with that guy that didn't want kids.  I married a man that did.  ;)

Good luck.

Answer 2

I went through a phase of never wanting children. Until I got married, no one ever said anything to me about having children. Then it was almost non-stop on when we're going to have children - right after "you may kiss the bride". We planned to have children eventually, but we also wanted to enjoy our freedom.

I do know that those friends and relatives of ours who were in our age group who had children were terribly envious of how much freedom we have had all these years because we didn't have children. Not that they didn't love their children, just that they missed the freedom.

Those who never want kids - great! Enjoy your freedom! I would never judge them or look down upon them. I just want them to enjoy their freedom.

Answer 3

Being childfree I have been on the receiving end of a lot of verbal insults and so forth.  Sure I get a lot less now that I am 42.  But when I was younger I was called, “stupid”, “communist”, “gay”, and everything else.

Back when I entered the military, at age 23, I was sent to a psychiatrist because they could not quite wrap their head around the idea that I had a vasectomy when I was 21, and never had children.  They suggested that I had it done illegally (Evidently they forgot about that funny document called, “The constitution”).  After they decided that I had not violated any laws, and that there is no psychological diagnosis for being childfree, they allowed me to proceed with my short military career (I decided that thier narrow-mindedness made my work enviornment somewhat hostile).

You have to remember that back then I was considered a “freak”.  The word “childfree” didn’t exist yet.  I only hear the term about four years ago.  Today one in five American women is or will be childfree when she is 40.  I don’t know the numbers for men.

I think only maybe 5 out of every 100 parents will judge a childfree person.  Most will just say silly things like, “wow you are so good with kids that…..”,  Ã¢Â€Âœwow you are so good with animals that…..”, “you are such a cute couple….”, or “you would have very intelligent children….”.  Only perhaps 1 out of 100 parents will be rude to you.  Unfortunately that rudeness goes a long way, and the person will be remembered for a long time.

Answer 4

Why do you think people that don't want kids are judged? I would rather see older people not having kids than all the young (teenagers) having kids.

I wouldn't judge a young person for not wanting kids. They have a whole lifetime ahead of them and chances are they will change their mind at some point though.

Answer 5

I really don't care.  I see many young people that shouldn't have kids ever or atleast not any time soon.  People judge people that is just life.  You have to just deal with it and get over it.  Don't care what others are thinking about your choice to have kids or not to have kids.  Really I don't care it is your life and if you don't want kids i am sure you have your reasons so don't have them.  I would rather people be more honest about not wanting kids and take precautions to not have them than for people to feel pressured into having kids then ruin their childrens lives because of regret.