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“Well. We lost another one,” is what my friend said when we received another incoming baby announcement from a common girlfriend. Before I could even think of what I was saying, I had a kneejerk reaction to say, “Oh noooo.” That’s what we said when we got the news that a friend who we love is reproducing. We didn’t say, “So cute!” or “So exciting!” We just started thinking about all of the downsides that come with a friend having children. I started to feel bad because I realized I react like this a lot. In fact, in small ways, I notice myself treating children as problems rather than blessings. And all my childless friends agree with me, and even celebrate my comments. Since today, women don’t feel as much pressure to procreate, have we overcorrected so much that we’re killing off our maternal instincts entirely? Are we becoming a generation of child-hating women? Here are all the ways I see it transpiring.
No-kids-allowed weddings
I’ve been receiving a lot of wedding invitations that explicitly state, “No kids allowed.” Well, they may say something more delicate like, “Please leave guests under the age of 12 at home” or “Unfortunately we will not provide childcare on site and ask that parents arrange other childcare.” Translation: we don’t want your children running around, messing up our centerpieces, screaming during speeches, and spilling catering trays.
