Welcome to The Childfree Life
Our diverse online community was founded for the purpose of providing a safe place for those who are childfree by choice, childfree by circumstance, or on the fence.
We have a little something for everyone. Join the conversation in our lively Childfree Life Forums where you can vent, share your thoughts, or just enjoy the fun chatter with people who have made the childfree choice. Articles and blogs from our members provide personal experiences about life without children and advice for dealing with a society that is not always accepting of that choice.
Still undecided about having children? You can talk to us about things you'd never feel comfortable talking to your childed friends, family or coworkers about. We get it. We come from all over the globe--and our reasons for being childfree are as multi-faceted as we are. There's room for your unique perspective here too.
TCFL can also provide an alternative to the pain of infertility--discover a new chapter of hope for your life's journey and take a different path from the herd. People do exist who believe that life can be fulfilling even if you are not having kids, and we’ll be glad to show you!
As we embark on our second year, we celebrate the many people who have contributed their ideas and talents into making this community grow and thrive. The Childfree Life is a creative, civil and dynamic group. We welcome new voices and invite you to become a part of our community.
Book: Blink
Written by Katherine Tuesday, 02 February 2010 15:03
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Reading Blink definitely made me more aware of the complexity behind our thoughts and judgments; why at times we go with our instincts and at other times spend a great deal of time weighing out the pros and cons before coming to a decision; when is it OK to trust our intuition or our “gut” and when can it lead us into trouble?
Not Suitable for Children: Tolkien on Fairy-Stories
Written by lngilbert Tuesday, 26 January 2010 14:15
I am currently reading The Tolkien Reader, which contains an essay by J.R.R. Tolkien entitled, "On Fairy-Stories." In it, he discusses how “fairy-stories” often have no fairies in them, how they have come to encompass everything from Thor to The Brothers Grimm to Alice in Wonderland. He also discusses how the term “fairy” has wrongly come to describe a small, winged creature who dresses in flower petals and can be found in the back of an English garden, rather than a being that lives in the realm of Faerie.
Read more: Not Suitable for Children: Tolkien on Fairy-Stories
Taking Control of My Life by Sterilization--Part I
Written by Minergal Tuesday, 19 January 2010 08:12
How did I make the decision to get sterilized? Up until about a year ago, not having children was something that I didn’t think much about, other than to try to explain to my two now ex-husbands that the financial situation wasn’t stable enough or that I wanted to wait until I had a permanent, full-time job. During the past year, though, my significant other and I have made the decision to commit to a childfree life. I have health issues that make being on hormonal birth control extremely risky, and my significant other has health issues that really should not get passed on to another generation. We were both raised with stricter parents, which is the way that we would want to raise our children if we wanted to have them. That brand of parenting is no longer considered acceptable, since the norm is now to raise children to believe that they are entitled to everything. We were both outsiders growing up, and I do not want to make the child go through what I had to go through to feel accepted. The biggest reason of all, though, is finances. We both have good-paying, full-time jobs, plus we have a hobby farm. He has a nice house that we live in, and I have a nice vehicle to drive. Our finances, or rather, our debts, simply don’t allow for us to have children. Accepting welfare money is something we are not willing to do, and we aren't willing to change our lifestyle to have children. With these factors in mind and after much discussion, the decision was reached: I would get sterilized by way of the Essure procedure.
Read more: Taking Control of My Life by Sterilization--Part I
I Know What You're Thinking.....
Written by Ida Summerveldt Tuesday, 12 January 2010 08:18
I’ve come to the conclusion that I either have many “tells” or that I have a tendency to hang out with people who think they have a high degree of extrasensory perception. The reason for this conclusion is simple: For most of my life, people have been telling me that they know exactly what I am thinking. Of course, they are always totally wrong but still it is impossible to tell them that.
