Childlessness Is Awesome And I Love It

Today’s blockbuster on Why Parents Hate Parenting really tries to wrap up on a sunny note. After a huge stretch explaining how children became parents’ bosses instead of household servants, and how everyone with a child is pretty much miserable and has no life, the article tries to put on the big spin that people are happier if they’ve has a “purposeful” life: “About twenty years ago, Tom Gilovich, a psychologist at Cornell, made a striking contribution to the field of psychology, showing that people are far more apt to regret things they haven’t done than things they have. In one instance, he followed up on the men and women from the Terman study, the famous collection of high-IQ students from California who were singled out in 1921 for a life of greatness. Not one told him of regretting having children, but ten told him they regretted not having a family.” Yeah, nice try. We childless have great purpose. We’re doing stuff night and day! We’re making partner at the firm and starting businesses and writing books and then, outside of our “day jobs,” we’re doing charitable and pro bono work, and also pursuing our tertiary interests (because we need an additional layer of hobbies when we’re tired of our regular hobbies!) and traveling and learning and reading and then, late at night in bed, we have long, luxurious talks about our ideas and feelings and goals! None of these conversations involve brands of diapers! It’s GREAT!