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On Being Kind to the Child-free

With so much fuss about your own children, sometimes parents can act like everyone is a parent especially if they see an overweight man or woman near a child.  Comments like, "These kids nowadays...You know how children can be...So how many children do you have?" can be off-putting with some child-free men and women.  Assuming everyone can related to one's parenting situation is often done, and it can also lead to unnecessary confusion especially when you mistakenly ask the opinion of someone who has never had children while they attempt to answer it.

Child-free adults either made their choice to remain child-less or it was made for them due to health issues.  But whatever the issue as to why they don't have children, it should have little to do with us and we should avoid the temptation to encourage or discourage raising children.  It is difficult enough to parent children, so why bother to ponder "the why" with someone who remains child-free?

Being understanding and kind toward those with no children is important when they are in our circles, sitting at our dinner tables, or seated next to us at events.  It is always better to have a conversation that both can relate to rather than one that doesn't suit someone's lifestyle.  It also doesn't make much sense to insult either child-free or a parent, because neither knows when they might be beneficial to one another.

There are pros and cons when it comes to being a parent and positives and negatives when one doesn't have children.  Most of us have been on both sides and sometimes we wish to go back to the child-free days.  Yet, we can't, so we keep on living, teaching, and growing and hopefully when the days finally come that we are free from child-rearing, we will appreciate that lifestyle a little more than we had in the past.

Nicholl McGuire shares spiritual insight on YouTube channel:  nmenterprise7.

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