BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids What Flavor of Child-Free Are You?

Where does your situation fall on the child free spectrum?

There are greatly different pressures on people based on where they fall in the relationship scale. A married couple who is over 45 gets different types of comments than a single 22 year old does!

Flavor of Child Free single choice
	Married, age 45+
	Married, under 45
	Long Term Partner, age 45+
	Long Term Partner, under 45
	Dating, age 45+
	Dating, under 45
	Single
	Other
Votes accepted starting: 04/30/08 12:56 PM
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I put long term partner on mine, although we've been living together for 13 years so in most states that is considered a marriage

My partner is 42 and pretty much when he crossed 40, people assumed we were past the point of asking. I think when we cross 45 that the questions will change from "when will you" to "do you regret". It's doing that now.

People know that my fiance and I wouldn't be able to have children now - he's going to pharmacy school, I want to get a masters degree, we both want to buy an apartment in Manhattan - so no one really bothers us now. I think it's going to start once we've accomplished those goals, by which time I hope I'll have gotten Essure.

Oh, for goodness' sake. Since when is a mother like yourself childfree?

Manatee - I discussed this in another thread, but you might have missed that. My boyfriend is an only child. We get pressured quite regularly because of his lack of children.

I receive perhaps more pressure than many other posters here. These forums exist for help for all situations. We do not restrict posts to only married people, for example.

I would consider the following to be child free:
1. singles w/no kids
2. marrieds w/no kids
3. empty nesters

Lisa is an empty nester.

Manatee - also, my natural son has not lived with me since age 5. So that was 14 years ago. I am sure if we all thought back to what we were doing 14 years ago, that would be a fairly large change.

I've been married for 6 years and we don't want children, nor is it fesible because of work and school.

I've always viewed childfree as never having kids because even if you are an empty nester you are still a parent. So an empty nester is at the moment living without children but are not childfree. This is not an attack just how I viewed the term.

I've been married for 12 years. We're both 38. DH is a teacher and considers those more than enough kids. Some days I think I would like a baby (usually when I see a nice soft serene photo of a babe) and then I go to the mall or Walmart and I change my mind. I like kids for the most part. Especially the part where I can walk away or go home to a sort-of-quiet home (I have a German Shepherd). For us, our animals are our kids.

When I was first married I was asked the "when are you" question but since DH brother had three we haven't been asked. I'm kind of abrasive in person so I don't think any family members would ask if I regret it.

This a Married No Children forum, not just a Child-Free forum. MNK allows for more variety.