QueenGoblin
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2006
I'm just wondering if any one else has run into this attitude, and what are your reactions/thoughts.
First, disclaimer. I have two children but I absolutely do not think everyone should be parents or secretly want to be parents. I think choosing to be child-free is a perfect choice for some people (and that it can be a wonderful, rewarding lifestyle for those who are childfree through circumstance rather than choice.) I have friends who have made that choice and I know it comes with its own set of challenges (not the least of which is answering the "when are you going to have kids?" questions.)
It seems like some child-free people (not all!!!!) really resent any employee benefits that are designed to help families. I am talking about things like on-site daycare (which in my experience is not free, but it might be subsidized slightly) or other programs aimed at attracting working parents. My friend was at a new employee orientation recently where a man stood up, announced that he was single and asked the HR rep what the company was doing for HIM since he was "paying for" these family benefits.
I live in PA and there is a lot of lipservice being given right now to eliminating the property tax (which funds schools primarily) in favor of income or sales taxes. Typically someone has to throw in the comment that it is "not fair" that child-free people have to pay for other people's kids to go to school.
My opinion has been that any "benefit" extended to families is just a drop in the bucket compared to the tremendous investment of time and money it takes to raise a child. Yes, having kids was our "choice" but kids aren't a hobby or a pet or something just for our personal enjoyment. They are our investment in the future and we take our responsibly to raise them well very seriously. They will be the doctors, lawyers, post officers and garbage collectors for all of us (child-free or parents) when we are senior citizens and retired.
Do you think people who make these kids of comments don't realize how expensive kids are? Do you think they just haven't considered what their world would look like 40 years from now if everyone either stopped having kids or stopped worrying about their education, health, values, etc.? Or do they have a point that I am missing?
First, disclaimer. I have two children but I absolutely do not think everyone should be parents or secretly want to be parents. I think choosing to be child-free is a perfect choice for some people (and that it can be a wonderful, rewarding lifestyle for those who are childfree through circumstance rather than choice.) I have friends who have made that choice and I know it comes with its own set of challenges (not the least of which is answering the "when are you going to have kids?" questions.)
It seems like some child-free people (not all!!!!) really resent any employee benefits that are designed to help families. I am talking about things like on-site daycare (which in my experience is not free, but it might be subsidized slightly) or other programs aimed at attracting working parents. My friend was at a new employee orientation recently where a man stood up, announced that he was single and asked the HR rep what the company was doing for HIM since he was "paying for" these family benefits.
I live in PA and there is a lot of lipservice being given right now to eliminating the property tax (which funds schools primarily) in favor of income or sales taxes. Typically someone has to throw in the comment that it is "not fair" that child-free people have to pay for other people's kids to go to school.
My opinion has been that any "benefit" extended to families is just a drop in the bucket compared to the tremendous investment of time and money it takes to raise a child. Yes, having kids was our "choice" but kids aren't a hobby or a pet or something just for our personal enjoyment. They are our investment in the future and we take our responsibly to raise them well very seriously. They will be the doctors, lawyers, post officers and garbage collectors for all of us (child-free or parents) when we are senior citizens and retired.
Do you think people who make these kids of comments don't realize how expensive kids are? Do you think they just haven't considered what their world would look like 40 years from now if everyone either stopped having kids or stopped worrying about their education, health, values, etc.? Or do they have a point that I am missing?