I’m not alone - according to a Pew Research poll, one in five women don’t have a child. That’s compared to one in ten in the 1970’s. Why I wonder? Choice perhaps. Permission one gives themselves to simply not do it. Perhaps opportunities never happened. For me, it’s a little bit of both. There is a such a profound beauty seeing a parent with a child. I have a few seconds of envy. Seconds. I like the beauty in that deep relationship with self that comes from time spent. I also learned that a child doesn’t have to be born of the body in order to be adopted in the heart. There are plenty of kids to go around. I also learned that birth can come in the form of creativity, of quiet, or birthing our true selves, travel and constant discovery or just simply being. What prompted this reflection (again) is a recent article bopping around on Facebook called “You Shouldn’t Need A Reason For Not Having Kids” - http://thoughtcatalog.com/jamie-berube/2014/02/you-shouldnt-need-a-reason-for-not-having-kids/. I liked it. I’ve stopped poking around people’s business when it comes to why they didn’t have kids. It’s a big MYOB for me, especially since I’ve been the recipient of the inquiries. I’ve had my phase of wanting a child, but it was brief. I have come to realize if I wanted one of my own, I would have done it. I chose to not be recruited into what is undoubtedly the hardest job on the planet, one that deserves serious respect. I chose to not apply for the job.
