Meet the UnParent

Hello, and welcome to TheUnparent. But just who/what is The UnParent?

Well, in many ways I'm the picture of average. I'm a 32 year old man living in my first house. I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world, I have a good steady 9-to-5 job in the IT field. I have my own car, a moderate amount of consumer debt, and I'm a cat owner.

But I don't have kids, and I never will.

That statement is weighty, and it always has been. In years past, procreation was a way of life. People grew into their teens, either paired off of their own will or were matched up by their families, and had children. Those children often worked on their parents' farms or apprenticed in town then grew to be teenagers, and the process repeated itself. Having children was expected of married couples, and doing otherwise was rogue behaviour to say the least. Couples without children could be tagged as blasphemers, or were often believed to have something "wrong" with them (whether the childlessness was attributed to decision or biology didn't matter in this case).

But Bob Dylan said it best: "The times, they are a-changin'". There's no longer a need for families to grow because of a need for a labour force. Parts of the world are overpopulated. Worldwide resources are dwindling. Having children is less of a necessity than it ever has been. However, there are still expectations placed on newer generations to have children. This expectation comes from many directions, and in many forms. These expectations are something I've chosen not to live up to. I've chosen not to be a parent.

This blog is not a soapbox. Though I may occasionally fire off a rant or 2, the point is to deliver arguments and explanations. I want my side of the story to be out there, for a few reasons. If you read discussion forums both for and against the child free lifestyle, there's an unofficial war brewing. While there's a lot of respect from both sides, there's also a lot of spite. I don't want to fight anyone, I want everyone to understand why other people make the decisions they do, and leave it at that. I also want to debunk myths and offer counter points to the many age-old arguments I (and my wife) face every day. I also want to tell this story from a man's point of view. The children/child free debate is often centered around women, as they are the child bearers of the species. But as a man, I also have a voice. I also have a mind, and I've made it up.

Welcome to The UnParent. I hope you'll be back.