For the Cause

I am childfree by choice. I have reasons that I firmly believe in for making that decision. With that being said, my choice isn't the only valid one. Far from it. There are a multitude of different life situations out there, mine being only one of them. And though I created this blog to establish a foothold, a platform from which to express my ideas on child freedom, the current parenting phenomenon and society in general, I try as much as possible to keep a "live and let live" mentality. I rant, I complain and I criticize, but I am always open to dialogue. At the end of the day, I want my position to be validated, not emulated. I don't want my views or my choices to be acknowledged as better, I just want it respected that they are better for me.

Not everyone tries to keep this balance. In every cause, there are fanatics, zealots who insist that their way is the only way and they will try to impose that on anyone who will listen (or get in the faces of those who won't). Religion, politics, sports, even the great Coke vs. Pepsi debate has its share of people who will unleash their infinite rage upon those who don't capitulate and come completely to their side (I'm a Pepsi guy, in case anyone is wondering). The child freedom cause is no different. There are those who believe that everything should be segregated, that children should be banned from public spaces, that there should be no special provisions for families under any circumstances. There are those who believe that fines and other punitive measures should be implemented for anyone whose child might be an inconvenience to anyone. This isn't right. Fanaticism never leads to any progress. I've always been a firm believer that one person's freedom ends where the next person's begins. There are situations where loud noise levels due to lots of children are to be expected. I won't go there to read quietly, that just doesn't make sense. But if I'm going to a library, and there's an inordinate amount of toddler-screaming going on, I expect the parent/guardian to show the same courtesy and try to fulfill the purpose for which the space was designed.

Respecting boundaries is more important than (and can help avoid) drawing lines in the sand.