Welcome to the November 2012 edition of the Childfree Times, this is a collection of articles, videos, images and more all related to being and living a Childfree life by choice (and for some not so much by choice to start with).
Articles and Blog Entries
Cruise Vacations: Take an Adult Cruise on a Luxury Ship Cruise vacations on a luxury ship appeal to a variety of travelers of all ages and stages of life. But for those who recently catapulted their teens from home (finally)—-or who have opted to leave younger children home with a relative or babysitter—-they may be seeking an adult cruise buffered from gaggles of kids or teens around them. It’s understandable that they may be less tolerant of the constant cries or giggles of someone else’s small children, and less forgiving of the enthusiastic antics of older ones. They’ve been there, done that.
Hotels, resorts offer child-free spaces for guests If you are single or a parent looking to get away from the kids for a bit, here is some good news for you. Hotels and resorts in the region are carving out child-free spaces for guests, with some even banning children altogether.
Father-in-law pushing for kids a bit too hard A woman who does not want kids is being constantly prodded by her father-in-law to have them.
Why Wrongful Birth Lawsuits Should Be Taken Seriously I’ve read a couple of news articles recently about parents suing for “wrongful birth” of severely disabled children. Parents of children born without appendages, limbs, or even having severe mental and/or other physical handicaps have sued medical staff for allowing their children to be born instead of advising them accordingly to terminate the pregnancy. Unfortunately, these cases have all been thrown out of court, even though I think they have legitimate complaints.
Is Childfree the New Gay? This is something I’ve secretly thought for a while now, but I worried it was too offensive or sensitive a topic to bring up. Luckily, someone else voiced my thoughts in a recent comment, so now I feel like I have permission from the universe at large to go ahead and speak my mind. After all, if just one other person shares your opinion, you are by definition not alone.
Childfree and Anti-Choice?!?!? First of all, I’d like to say congratulations to United States president Barack Obama on winning re-election in a rather handy fashion. Talk about a relief for CF people in the US! Let me tell you what, ol’ Mittens would have been a devastating blow for women’s reproductive health not only in the US, but here and everywhere else in the world too (cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, which he said he’d do, as well as cutting funding for abortions and contraceptives/sterilization in developing countries, among other assaults on reproductive choice).
Quiet Moments – So Thankful for Child-Free Zones Amidst the noise pollution of everyday life, the number of people who crave quiet time is on the increase. I an opinion piece by Tim Kreider (some of whose opinions we share in our book, Enough of Us) in the November 18, 2012 New York Times, about Amtrak’s Quiet Car – in which talking means whispering, cellphones must be off, and music is a headphones-only privilege – he bemoans the amount of noise we are subjected to.
Groups and Sites
Childfree Journal Web sites and articles dealing about the childfree in our pro-baby society.
Coming Out of the Child-free Closet Frank Zappa is quoted as saying, “without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” I wholeheartedly agree but what he doesn’t capture in that quote for me is the essence of what it feels like to deviate. Have you ever held within your heart something that you know down right offends other humans? Yet, to ignore it is to deny a piece of your very being. It can be painful. It is not a fun place to be.
Book Review
Complete Without Kids Ellen L. Walker, PH.D., has written a comprehensive book on the many aspects of living childfree in a world where parenthood is the default setting. Dr. Walker’s focus in the book, Complete Without Kids, is part self journey and part a blue print to navigate others through the decision making process. The book is filled with personal stories and comments from others who have made the CF decision.
Images
Childfree, Antinatalism, VHEMT a pinterest board dedicated to all things childfree, antinatalism and vhemt
Childfree life another pinterest board dedicated to all things childfree
Childfree! another pinterest board dedicated to all things childfree