Guilty?

I just started reading The Childless Revolution.

This book divides the childfree/childless woman into 3 categories - chosen, chance and happenstance. I'm a bit dismayed already that the childfree (chosen) ones are a mere 30 pages at the start of the book. These women are then divided into another 3 categories - positively, religiously and environmentally childfree.

The women that they spoke to have all expressed great joy and happiness with their choices and do not regret them.

The one bit of the book that made me go AH-HA so far is the letter that was written to Dear Abby in 1975 by a couple asking parents to tell them if having kids was as rewarding as everyone told them it was. An astounding 70% of parents said, if they had to do it again, they WOULD NOT! Oh..dear...

Being childfree is a choice that I have made and I'm happy with it. Beyond happy, really. Despite that, I admit, at times, I feel guilty. I am probably one of those 'lucky' women who would fall pregnant at the drop of a hat and have cute, healthy cherub babies...and I don't want it. It does make me feel a little guilty at times that I have this ability and I don't want it...at all. If my doc was to tell me I was infertile, it would be the best news I could ever get. I know a few people who desperately want babies, would be great parents-not-breeders and have all the patience/love for a child and they can not have one.

In TQC the other day, the question was asked if god existed and we met him and could have ONE thing changed for all humanity in the future, what would it be. My response was:

People are infertile until they CHOOSE to have children and prove that they will be decent, upstanding parents to said children.

This would, if you ask me, solve a few problems. But ideals worlds never happen, so, yeah.

I look forward to finishing this book. It seems fairly well laid out so far, but we shall see.