BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids TV & Movies and representing the CF

In regards to the darkness of the later Harry Potter books, I think it's progressing with the ages of the main characters and the level of things that Harry is having to deal with. I think that's why the books appeal so much to adults as well as children. They can be read and enjoyed on different levels. I've reserved my copy of book 7 too and can't wait until next month when it's released!

Cindy

Speaking of CF represented in TV & movies, I just saw the film, "Away From Her", starring Julie Christie and Gorden Pinset as a long-married couple who are dealing with Alzheimer's disease, and their complicated history together. It's a brilliant film about love over the long haul. One of the interesting things to me was that this couple doesn't have children - although it's not clear whether they are childfree or childless. The fact that they don't have children isn't presented as an issue, positive or negative. Interestingly, there is another couple in film who are dealing with the same health issues and they have kids. However their kids live far away and don't make time to visit. Again, I thought it was unusual to show aging characters whose kids aren't rushing to care for them in old age. Even though this is often the case in real life, I don't think I've ever seen this in a movie. Anyway, it's a great film for many reasons and I highly recommend it.

I would normally avoid a movie about characters with Alzheimer's because I've been living with that my whole adult life...first my grandmother and then my mother in law both died of it. No fun and don't want to go there willingly. But I'll take your recommendation greenblue and see it anyway because the presentation of senior years without children sounds very refreshing. It's true, it seems like in movies old people always have children who live with or dote on them. Maybe it's because that's how it used to be. Maybe that's partly what gives people that expectation.

Maybe it was better that way on the whole, for society, but personally, it won't work for me. In my experience there are a certain subset of the elderly population (my mother) who decide that because you're their blood relative, they can say anything rude or pushy to you, or judge you, and you have to tolerate it because you owe them for raising you.

Frieda, I had the same reservations about seeing this movie as you. I too have witnessed several family members go through Alzheimer's. That experience, plus the fact that it could very likely happen to me, since it runs in my family, made me wary. However, this movie isn't really about Alzheimer's, it's more about the complications of long-term relationships. The disease serves as a catalyst to tell the story. I read a review that described it very well - it said something like "Away from Her is about Alzheimer's in the way that Jaws is about shark hunting".

I know you said it isn't about Alzheimer's, and I will check out "Away from Her," for sure. But have you guys seen "The Notebook?" There is a bit of Alzheimer's or memory loss in the story, but it also covers a couple's life together.

It's a real tear jerker, but REALLY good.

Two other singles (also detectives!) who don't have kids are Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (by Agatha Christie.) Also in the three Mary Higgins Clarke book adaptations I've seen so far none of the main characters (all women) had kids.

I've recently become hooked on Battlestar Galactica, and have now watched the miniseries and the first two seasons. (For those unfamiliar with this series, it concerns a futuristic civilisation driven to the brink of extinction by human-created artificial intelligence. The remaining 47,000 or so people are forced to flee their planetary system in search of a new home. Incidentally, one of the female protagonists is CF.)

Anyway, it made me wonder about something: as determined as I am to remain childfree, would I feel differently if mankind numbered in the tens of thousands rather than billions? It's all highly speculative, of course, but I could see myself perhaps changing my perspective on the whole issue. Not that I necessary believe that humankind must, or deserves to, survive at all costs, but perhaps having a child in those circumstances would have more of a meaning... Any thoughts?

When you mentioned Battlestar Galatica it reminded me of Star Trek the Next Generation. I don't think there are kids running around.

No, I wouldn't but if I was somehow transported to the 1950s I might. Because I believe there were less pressures on the teens (or younger!) to rebel and to experiment with scary things and the world was safer.

I could have a kid if we were threatened with extinction, I think. But I would still hate it. But maybe it would be meaningful, knowing that the child was so needed.

I know this sounds horrible, but I'm not particularly concerned about the human race's survival. I don't necessarily think we are that much more important than other species.

I can think of a few episodes of TNG which involve children - and indeed the idea of parenthood (e.g. Data and his android daughter/Worf's relationship with his son) - but it's never really obnoxiously child-centric. And, of course, Jean-Luc Picard is resolutely childfree. :-)

Yes, I'm a nerd.