BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids Are women the victims or accomplices?

This mother of three that while I DO like her (she's funny, nice etc.) she sometimes bingos me, thinks being childfree is selfish and so on, I don't actually think SHE thought about having kids beyond the bingos. Honestly I don't.
But I don't know if it's cos she's Phillipino or cos she's Catholic.
Then again, like I've said before, I'm married to an Egyptian Muslim who is MORE than happy to be childfree!
But I think it's harder to break the mould when you have these sort of expectations for you from family and so on.
I'm actually surprised - and pleased - my stupid ex church didn't bingo us women more. They WERE very sexist in other ways though. But then again, they feared gays and Muslims and white witches and any other religion or different church so they probably feared the childfree too or just didn't know - then - that we existed!
I am lucky that family don't really bingo me --- YET.
Although my grandma seemed to think at one stage my degree and diploma didn't count for much as I didn't have kids.
At her birthday party she said about our accomplishments. She said about the children the others had (except my brother had none then but how he'd improved.) And for me I recall her only talking about my attempt at living in America and how it failed. Well joke's on YOU Nan! I have been now living and working in the UK on the other side of the world for over five years now! And travelled to 13 different countries! Now she LOVES hearing about my travels anyway!
I actually get bingoed more from work - I'm a teacher so I guess that's a bit to be expected. But everyone else doesn't usually do their job in their spare time for kicks so why should I be expected to! But it's ironic that I'm bingoed more by strangers as a rule than the ones who actually KNOW me! I think I'd prefer it that way though. (Will probably get SERIOUSLY bingoed next time I go back home for a visit - brother has three and apparently does NOT believe in birth control, thinks it's evil! Watch this space!)

Athena said: This mother of three that while I DO like her (she's funny, nice etc.) she sometimes bingos me, thinks being childfree is selfish and so on


It's like fraternity hazing. Ask a frat why they ever did any hazing (some still do, I think?) and they say "Well, it's always been this way". I.e., "We had to suffer, so you will, too". I've heard pals of mine in med school talking about 36-hour shifts the same way. Sure, it's good for learning about continuity of care, but it also puts patients at risk because interns are literally falling asleep. It's continued (to some extent...I think it might be starting to go away) due to...you guessed it...tradition.