This woman claims to speak for the 'majority' of childless women, and that's where this article goes horribly wrong. She doesn't have the self-awareness to realize that in something this personal, she can only speak for herself.
She isn't unhappy because she's childfree. She's unhappy because she wants children, and hasn't made that happen for herself. She cannot, and should not, try to speak for those women who never wanted children.
She claims that a life without children is empty, and that no career or nights out can fill it. Her life isn't empty because she doesn't have children, it is empty because she has given no real thought to how to make it otherwise. Career and social life are stopgap answers. They may work for some, but will not work for everyone. If they do not make you happy and you never look beyond them to what can fulfill you, it is not your empty womb's fault. It is simply a lack of perspective and planning.
I won't question her suspicions that children would have taken away that empty feeling. It doesn't work for all women, and shouldn't be seen as a cure-all, but it is an intensely personal thing that people cannot judge in one another. Yet without any real attempt to find a deeper meaning in relationships, volunteer work, or any other hobbies, causes, or the myriad and countless ways one can full their life, the last thing she should be doing is writing an article telling us how to live a rich and full existence.
Technorati Tag: childfree
1 comment:
I'm frankly shocked by the lack of insight some people really have. Especially before going on record like this.
I especially liked "Her life isn't empty because she doesn't have children, it is empty because she has given no real thought to how to make it otherwise." Exactly.
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