Woman delivers powerful response after being asked about her biological clock on a first date

Society tends to pressure women into conforming to certain expectations around having children, but those assumptions don’t hold true for everyone. Kelly—known as @broadwaybabyto on X—shared an awkward and offensive moment from a first date, where a man questioned her reproductive health. She posted about the incident and used the opportunity to challenge the societal norms around women and motherhood.

"Him (on a first date): 'Are your ovaries ok?' Me: 'Omg, why? Are they hanging out?' Him (not amused): 'I mean your biological clock - aren't you worried it's getting too late to have kids?' I was 32 and thoroughly unimpressed," Kelly shared. "First things first - there was no second date. He didn't appreciate my humor - and I didn't appreciate being treated like a baby-making machine on a FIRST date. Second - I'm sick and tired of these questions being considered socially acceptable." Kelly gets asked a wide range of questions about being single and child-free, as well as why she doesn't have children. "Things like: When are you going to 'settle down?' Are you not interested in men? Are you unable to have children? Are you barren? Don't you want to be a mother?"

"People need to stop asking others about their reproductive choices and/or shaming them for being childless. I am barren. I assume most people who asked that question didn't expect it to be true - and they certainly didn't consider how hurtful it would be to me to be asked it," Kelly shared. "I may be barren - but I am not ashamed. I lost my ability to bear children at 24 when I had an emergency hysterectomy - but the truth is I never felt like I wanted children." She added, "My health was always poor - and I didn't think I could be an effective parent. Nor did I feel that maternal instinct others seemed to expect me to feel." She remarked, "For years, I pursued my dream of being a theatre critic. I traveled as often as I could. I attended fancy red-carpet galas, did aerial yoga and hiked all over Canada. I squeezed as much life into my healthiest years as I could - and I never regretted not having children."

Kelly went on, "It was the right choice for me and I'm fortunate to live in a time where I was permitted that choice. We are more than our wombs. More than our ability to be someone's wife or mother. We are people with hopes, dreams and passions that may or may not involve children - and being child-free in no way makes us 'less than,'" she concluded. Her words resonated with many, prompting people to share their thoughts and personal experiences in the comments.

@yticilef_Kooc wrote, "In the UK, people don't ask you why you don't have kids. They just blank you once they've had them. The number of female friends I've had ignore me once they've had children is ridiculous. It's like they're scared I'll try and steal their baby because I can't have one!" @FloRoberts93 commented, "I don't know why anyone thinks another person's reproductive choices (or choice not to) are any of their business. It took me over a decade to conceive my first child. Years of marriage with *everyone* asking when/why/why not. If I'd wanted them to know, I would have told them." @SmallpolyArt remarked, "Weirdest possible way to ask someone if they want to have kids someday."