Childfree woman counters family's relentless attempts to make her a mom with epic response

For many people, the idea of becoming a parent is an unquestioned step in the journey of life. But what happens when someone chooses a different path? This is a question a 36-year-old woman, u/WowCleverUsername, confronted in a Reddit post where she shared her struggles as the only childfree person in her family.

In her post, she explained that her siblings, aged 34 and 37, each have three children, while she has none and never intends to have any. She enjoys the freedom to travel and the ability to spend money on herself, her pets and the charities she supports. But this choice came at a cost. Her family often labelled her as "selfish" for not wanting to "experience the magic of motherhood."

She wrote, "They call me selfish even though I've helped out both of my siblings financially on several occasions and never asked for the money back." The pressure from her family has always been a little too much, with her parents and siblings frequently making comments like, "Your boyfriend will leave you if you don't give him a child." Despite her explaining that her boyfriend is also childfree and that if he ever wanted kids, she'd let him go, they persist with remarks such as, "You'll end up alone when you're old."

The family's constant pestering made the woman avoid visits with them. "It had gotten to the point that I stopped visiting my parents and didn't talk to my siblings for nearly a year. But the other day, my sister called and told me she was inviting family over for her daughter's third birthday and she would love it if I would be there. I told her I wasn't sure since any time I'm in their proximity, they gang up on me and attack my lifestyle choices. She assured me that my personal life would not be brought up," the post shared.

Reluctantly, she agreed to attend the party, bringing a gift for the birthday girl. Everything was going well until a family member started commenting on her lifestyle choice and things went south. "I was pissed and decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. I said, 'You know a lot of people think they want kids, but then they begin regretting their own kids. So, I don't know, you guys may stop loving your kids someday and resent them for draining your resources.' My SIL gasped. Then I left without saying another word. Since then, my parents and relatives have been bombarding me with angry texts and calls, telling me I should apologize for saying 'such a horrible thing.' I told them they were fu**ing hypocrites as they insult my life choices but can't take it when I insult theirs," she added. 

She concluded her post by asking people on the platform whether she'd been wrong for calling them a "hypocrite." Her post sparked a larger conversation about the expectations placed on individuals, especially women, to conform to traditional roles. "I hate the assumption that if you are just around kids, you will love them and want them. I also hate the assumption that because you don't want kids, you must hate them and that is so wrong and selfish. I didn't want kids. I don't have any. But I love my cousin's kids to bits! The kids are awesome. I did not want the responsibility. Or the blame if I wasn't a perfect mom," wrote u/noonenottoday.

"But unfortunately, they couldn't see their own hypocrisy. You can't reason with people who think it's incomprehensible that different life choices and world views exist," added u/peregrination_."Also, I don't know about OP but when I spend time with kids it only reinforces my desire to never have any of my own," commented u/lmdelint.