There's been a lot on Tumblr going around about how society shouldn't expect women to have children, because some women want to have that independence. I totally agree!
Here's where it gets annoying: the argument has transformed from a good thing about personal choice and the right to do what you want with your life to my side vs. your side (as it usually goes in Tumblr politics).
It's changed from "women don't need to have children to have fufilling lives," (the correct opinion-- I'm not normally so black and white, but that's just personal choice for the women involved) to "women who want a child instead of a career are giving a bad name to feminists." That is such fucking bullshit.
I don't want kids. I never have. But I still have pretty strong opinions on motherhood. Yes, gay couples should be able to adopt way fucking easier. Straight couples can just fucking pop out babies but we have to sign so much paperwork because we happen to be gay. But that's another rant for another time. My point is, you don't have to want to be a mother to see that this argument is bullshit. Praising people for choosing their jobs over children isn't necessary, and more than that, it's fucking dumb. What person is doing that shit for praise? And, more importantly, stop making women who want to just be a housewife feel bad. That's their own choice.
I have a very good friend of mine who has three siblings, and her biggest joy in life is just helping her mom out with the kids. It makes her happy. She loves dressing little toddlers and making dinner and setting them up for movies and helping them stop crying. In general, she just loves being a mother. She's told me multiple times that she's not very smart academically, and all she wants to do is get a degree in child care potentially and have kids. She just wants to be a stay at home mom. There is nothing wrong with that. Stop saying that there is. She's not a "bad feminist" for wanting to be a housewife. Some people do! I may not want to, and a majority of women don't, but some do, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.
I'm all for women saying that they don't need kids to be happy. That's awesome. But by no stretch of the imagination should we be shaming the women who do want to center their lives around their children. Stop being assholes.
YOU ARE READING
Mental Beatdown
DiversosA book about the stuff I hate and why I hate it. And whatever else I want to throw in there because I don't follow your rules. NOTE: Seriously if you read any of this and get offended just shhhh because I really don't feel like hearing it at all.
