Child-free woman reveals the unexpected downside of not having kids and it’s not about loneliness

Society often places unrealistic expectations on child-free people, assuming they lack the responsibility of raising children. While every situation has its pros and cons, a child-free woman believes the biggest downside of not having children is not a nursing home. The woman, Sade Sellers (@sadesellers), took to TikTok and expressed that having children is a personal choice, and those who choose not to should not be held responsible for those who do.

"To me, there’s only one major downside of not having kids, and no, it has nothing to do with a nursing home or being a lonely cat woman," Sellers began. "It’s that people don’t take you seriously. Everyone expects people who don’t have kids to be accommodating to their choice to have kids." The woman added, "What happens is we get the brunt of the work when we don’t want it and we don’t get twice the pay. And we’re just supposed to be understanding, like, 'Well, she went on maternity leave.' That was her choice to have a baby!" She pointed out, "You better replace her with someone temporarily to take over that position. I’m not saying you have to fire her, but we need someone to fill in. It ain’t gonna be me."

"You want me to take on her role but not her pay? That's crazy," Sellers expressed. "People think because you don’t have kids, you have all this free time and you can do it. But the free time is for me." She continued, "There was a reason why I didn’t have children. It was to make sure my free time was for me—not to do my job and your job. I have a dog at home and he needs to use the bathroom and walk. So, no, I can’t stay two extra hours later so you can go pick up your kid. Go get a babysitter, whatever. Your choice to have a child is not my responsibility, ever." People took to the comments section to express their thoughts on the same.

@jenesis_lee wrote, "I had a coworker tell me, 'I think child-free people should be forced to work holidays so that moms can have off.' No girly. Just because I don't have kids doesn't mean I don't have a family." @whybornalex commented, "'Your choice to have a child - is not my responsibility.' The line I’m trying to live by. Especially as an older sister who was forced to take care of my brother and had zero childhood since he was born."

@taylor.amandaaaa remarked, "Not to mention that people with kids think that people without kids have absolutely zero responsibilities and it’s so condescending." @flylikekay shared, "Yup! People don’t think you have financial struggles; they don’t think you get sad, busy, overwhelmed, they assume you have unlimited energy and time." @halloween103188 expressed, "So many parents expect a village without contributing to the village themselves or asking if people even want to be a part of their village. A village doesn't just pop up because you had a kid."

You can follow Sade Sellers (@sadesellers) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.