Proud To Be A Childless Dog Lady

That's right. I have never given birth to a child. That was my decision, and i refuse to allow some magat cretin to insult me for my decision not to add to the Earth's exploding population.

I do have a daughter, however, a lovely young lady who joined me at age 11 after I adopted her from Russia. She is now 30 years old and the mother of a beautiful 3-year-old son. It was her choice to have a child. It was my choice not to give birth to a child.

Women don't owe men children. Women don't owe men or anyone else an explanation.  Society, men in particular, need to stop pressuring women to give birth. And we need to stop glorifying women who have huge families. 

My father once asked me when I was "going to settle down." I replied that I had graduated college, earned a master's degree, got married and had a good job. As far as I was concerned, I was "settled down." What he meant, of course, was when would I start popping out the grandchildren. My former mother-in-law once said to me, at the dinner table, "You do want children, don't you?" I replied, "Not really." The was the end of the discussion.

Comments like those above reinforce the age-old view of women as little more than brood mares, a way for men to prove their masculinity. A woman can be well educated and successful, but if she doesn't 'give' her man a child or, preferably, several children, then she isn't a real woman in the eyes of many.

Women are the ones expected to give up their careers, or at least to put them on hold, to stay home and raise the kids. 

I could care less about becoming a grandmother. My daughter's toddler was the result of her failure to properly use birth control. I didn't have any particular interest in becoming a grandmother. But now that he is here, I help out by buying clothes and shoes when he needs them. I bought a farm set for him the last time he visited. And I set up a savings account for him, to which I make a contribution each month. But am I excited to have a grandchild? Not really.

So I am happy and proud to be a childless dog lady. I am allergic to cats, so I won't become one of the childless cat ladies so disparaged by the GOP's candidate for the vice-presidency.

The Earth is struggling to support the billions of humans on this planet. Our water and other resources are stretched to the limit. More people mean more pollution and more demands upon this planet. Global hunger threatens millions across the globe.

So I am happy to be a childless dog lady. I like things just the way they are.