BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids I love my childree life! (Happy rant)

I'm so happy to be childfree.

My hubby and I have embraced the voluntary simplicity lifestyle and being childfree is probably the biggest part of keeping life simple.

We have little interest in material acquisition- in fact we try to own and consume as little as possible. Our small living quarters are always clean, quiet, and uncluttered. I ride my bike everywhere I need to go, and am able to do so whenever I feel like it. We have no outside demands on us, we are able to do exactly what we please whenever we want to do it. We don't make much money, but we don't need very much either. We share a lovely yoga stretch in the mornings and evenings read library books together on the deck.

Life without kids is pretty much stress-free. No reasons to argue, to stress or worry, to rush around or consume any more than we absolutely need. I love being childfree, and I just wanted to share!

Good for you! I de-cluttered my space about a year ago and gave away about half of the stuff I had accumulated but really didn't need. The city opened a new library branch two blocks away and that's all I really need for a relaxing afternoon.

I love watching Nanny 911 and realizing that I will never have to deal with those situations! It's similar to watching the guy jump into the shark infested waters on the Discovery channel. It's mesmerizing and makes me thankful that I don't have to deal with hungry sharks or shrieking toddlers.

Time for me to do a happy rant!
OK I LOVE that I get to sleep in a bit on weekends.
I love that before work the time I spend is just getting ME ready and doing things that feel good. I love that when I'm done at work I just go straight home. I love my evenings, the time I have to relax. I love being able to be spontaneous. I love the refreshing baths, the extra money and the less to worry about. I love that I can focus on hubby & I more this way. I love walks in the park on my own, that I get to travel on my own AND with hubby. And am going on a day trip with friends tomorrow! The extra sleep - not that I sleep much, never have, but it's usually uninterrupted sleep. The room and house being more quiet. Less responsibility - I have enough at work. More time for self development. More time for fun. (MY kind of fun. To some people playing with kids in their free time IS fun. Eh I do it for a job so for me NOT so much!) Not having to worry as much about insurance. Less worry about making ends meet. Freedom to watch what I like on TV. Spontaneous meals out - sometimes it's sleep in, leisurely showers and go out for a leisurely brunch to kick off our weekend (in a cafe) and it's WONDERFUL. Time to go out with our own friends and if we both wanted to see our individual friends on the same night/weekend day we CAN. Going shopping in the mall and splitting up to look at individual things and then regrouping. Not having to go shopping as much - no kids to buy for, no extra mouths to feed. Less housework less cooking less cleaning less washing. Doing less hours for more money (than some of my colleagues) cos they had kids, less time for education and now have to do extra hours at work to try to make more money and they STILL don't make as much. I'm glad I'm NOT in that situation. With all my holidays (being a teacher) no trying to figure out what to do with the kids, how to entertain them etc. No babysitting grandkids. More spontaneous sex and not worrying about junior finding out! Hubby & I usually plan our travels I like not having to accomodate kids in that but once we just drove the car from London to Wales (about two hours) drove somewhere, found a BNB stayed there, looked around, moved on the next day to another place and so on till we'd had enough. And if and when we get our UK passports and we don't need to get visas so much, I think we'll be doing a lot more of that. Hubby will just come home one day and they'll be tickets to Barcelona on our bed. Or Iceland. Or Greece. Or somewhere else lovely!! And hubby goes to his native Egypt every year and I don't have to feel resentful that I'm left holding the baby or it's too expensive. It's me time or I can come with and like I said I get to travel on MY own too (plus with him) One day I needed a break and within a week organised a long weekend in Paris for myself (was already on holiday) Plus we'd already been there as a couple. It was WONDERFUL! AH I LOVE MY CHILDFREE LIFE!! What can I say? I LOVE MY LIFE!!

Happy Yogini,

I admire your desire to have as simple a lifestyle as possible. My husband and I have been able to get around with bikes, walking and cycling, live in a small place, and like you seem to consume very little. I have noticed over the years that this doesn't seem to be possible for those with kids. It really encourages a materialistic lifestyle, what with all the baby things, the need for at least one giant SUV or mini-van with things like DVD players inside, and a mountain of toys. I wonder if others have made the decision to be CF to decrease their environmental footprint? Back in the day having children didn't seem to involve buying so much [censored]!

I agree totally! My husband's brother's family consume so much and WASTE so much. I have often wondered if it's because of the kids. His sister in law seems so frazzled with 3 kids and I wonder if she feels (or they all feel) buying more "stuff" makes her life easier/better. Hmmmmm.....something to think about.

Hello, I'm new here and find the comaraderie wonderful. I, too, love my child free life. My husband and I have many community-oriented activities and a great social life. When we're not out and about, it is great to chill at home together and focus on each other (or even ourselves). We enjoy our jobs, but when we get home, it's so nice to flop on the sofa and get take-out if we want to, or whatever. I'm a big kid myself... love to play and be silly. Don't need to be a mom to do that!

Good for you!Here's what I love about being without children:

I love that when I buy something, it's either something fun for myself or someone I love (hey, so what if it's selfish? I earned it! And I'm veggie and I recycle and compost, so I do my earthly part) I also love spending my money on things I choose, like spoiling my nieces or my mother. I can afford to remodel. I can afford to make a generous cash and time donation to the presidential candidate of my choice. I can do what I want after work. When we want to go someplace, I just need to find a dog sitter. We have one car we only drive on weekends. When I leave the house sans dog, I just have one purse.

And here's the last one, ladies:

When I fly, I'm not the woman lugging the car seats wrapped in yards of plastic with screaming baby. It's just me and my one suitcase.

Ladies, you are lucky indeed.

I reread this post when I am having a bad day. It reminds me that although my life is not devoid of all problems, it reminds me of how many FEWER problems I have largely due to the fact that kids aren't in the picture. Before I know it, I find myself feeling that life is pretty great after all!

My favorite aspect of the childfree life? Snuggling with my partner and knowing there won't be any chance the pitter patter of little feet might interrupt us!!!

[quote=Runnergirl1980]I reread this post when I am having a bad day. It reminds me that although my life is not devoid of all problems, it reminds me of how many FEWER problems I have largely due to the fact that kids aren't in the picture. Before I know it, I find myself feeling that life is pretty great after all!

SO TRUE! I also have days where it seems the problems never end, then I come home to a calm and quiet house and drink in the peace and quiet. I have a very stressful, long, and demanding work week, I would not want to see just how much more having a kid would add to it. Working 60+ hours a week does not leave enough time for my CAT let alone a KID!

Wow! I'm a newbie to " BellaOnline" as of a few days ago and just came across this topic.

I agree with all the reasons above for living a childfree life. Seeing women lugging around Snotly and Bratly makes me sooo relieved it's not me.

Dh & I just retired at age 59 and 61. If we had kids there's NO WAY this could have occured for many years. AND,No grandkids to babysit ~ YAYYYY!! Looking forward to traveling and well, doing whatever we want.