Cheers to the Childless

We celebrate Mothers Day and Fathers Day because it is so important to appreciate their care and hard work in bringing up the children that are our future.

I would like to celebrate another group of people whose decisions, care and hard work also affect our future.

I know several people who have made the decision to be childless. Two very dear sisters are among them.

Thank goodness for those people who are not having children!

Whether their decisions were easy or hard, simple or complicated, their decision means the pressure of populations on our dear Earth is that little bit lessened.

When I grew up the common view was that a woman without children was not ‘fulfilled’ not a ‘proper’ woman, not ‘complete’. No doubt men are maligned similarly. Hopefully we have come a long way from that point of view. But we need to go further. We need to say Hooray! We need to celebrate those people for the decision they have made that benefits every country, every continent, every ocean of our planet.

And I want to include those men and woman who may not have chosen to be childless, but were made so by cruel fate or circumstance. After all, we celebrate Mothers and Fathers who may have had their children as a result of cruel fate or circumstance! Fair is fair!

I have been thinking about blogging this for a while, watching as Mothers’ Days and Fathers’ Days blossom and blink all over the world. What special day could I use to celebrate those childless men and women?

Well, today is the day. It is my birthday, so I am dedicating it this way. I really hope that if you are childless you hear me cheering you, and if you know someone who has decided to be childless, please pass on a cheer from me, and give them a hooray yourself!

Thankyou for reading, and a special thankyou to you childless ones!
http://background-joy.blogspot.com/2011 … dless.html

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Happy Birthday Joy.. much love.. and even more love for your thoughtfulness... you are so beautiful.. I hope one day when i eventually get toMelbourne that we can meet for coffee..

Thanks so much Frizz. I would love that coffee with you!

happy birthday!!!!!

Sweet Joy, you are the most beautiful person on our wonderful happy family togetherness enJOYness forums..and i am out of breath

Love you and sweet wishes

Thank you
(people alway's think there is something wrong with me for choosing not
   to have children)

and a delayed Happy B-day to you!

Thanks!

The "accidental childless" (ie those for whom is has not been a choice)  suffer the excesses of the "childful", both in terms of how the world ignores/pities them & that much money & noise is spent in the celebration of an entirely natural event, & worst of all the callousness of natural parents whose enjoyment of their own good fortune can often be cruel, careless, selfish & abrasive.

Making the choice is one thing, it is an empowerment of a sort.............to not have that choice, but to live "cheerfully" with those more fortunate, to actively take part in the world of other people's children to make their lives fuller & more precious, is an unrespected & unrecognised selflessness that the world should hold dear, but frequently doesn't.

Credit to you for raising such an emotive subject.