Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate women from all walks of life who have given birth. Women have always been an important part of society. Life as we know it begins in our mother’s womb, and for many of us, our first word is “mom.”
While most of us consider being a mother as a special and important stage of a woman’s life, there is a growing trend among 21st-century women who are choosing a different path in life that does not involve having children.
A child-free life is becoming increasingly common among women. This choice allows women to live a life fully dedicated to themselves, their careers, and their relationships, whether platonic or romantic. With an evolving world comes evolved mindsets.
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Mother’s Day has evolved to celebrate not just traditional motherhood, but also the diverse roles that women play in nurturing others. In several African and Asian communities, women like sisters, aunties, and cousins often assume motherly roles by providing care, guidance, and support to children within their families and communities. This highlights the idea that motherhood extends beyond biological or legal ties, focusing on the importance of love, compassion, and caregiving in defining maternal roles.
However, there is still pressure in society for women to get married and have children. When women disobey this norm, it can be alarming to those who firmly stand on traditional roles to define their lifestyles. A woman’s choice of being a parent should be respected and not approached with negativity.
Different women have different reasons for choosing a child-free life. One of the reasons is trauma transfer. Different upbringings affect and impact people differently, and abuse can be a major traumatic experience that leads some women to decide not to have children. Individuals who have gone through abuse of any sort are known to have trust issues, relationship issues, and communication issues, among others. Thus, some women do not want to bring a child into the world to be raised by dysfunctional or troubled parents.
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One of my friends, who is 27 years old, said, “I simply do not want to be a parent.” She continued, “Since I was a child, I never thought of myself as a mom, and I have never felt differently ever since.”
With the rise of the child-free trend, some doctors advise freezing eggs or using long-term contraceptives as a lifestyle choice, while discouraging tying tubes. Some specialists state that a person’s circumstances may change, leading them to want children.
“I’m full of admiration for parents. It’s a huge commitment, but to pretend it’s an easy path is disingenuous. People say that child-free couples are selfish, but the opposite is true. Parents choose to have kids, and that’s their decision. It’s their unit, not anyone else’s,” a netizen shared on X concerning Mother’s Day.
Ultimately, every individual has unique wants and needs. While society creates a pattern of thoughts and actions, not everyone wants to live within that norm. The decision to have children or not is an individual one. Any woman’s decision regarding choices that will impact their life in a significant way should be left up to them to make. A woman is whole with or without making the sober decision to bear children.
