As a mom who chose to stop at just one child because I didn’t want all the responsibility that having two or more kids entails, I was often criticized as negatively by other moms (with 2 or more) for my choice as you guys (CFers) are for yours.

I definitely understand where CFers are coming from, and it can get really annoying when narrow-minded people get nasty with those of us who make a different choice from what society says we’re “supposed to” make.

One of those moms that you talked about is the same gal who ended up in a mental hospital after her first child because she was so miserable as a new mom. Knowing that about her, I take her opinion of the childfree with a grain of salt since she is one of the “misery loves company” crowd. We should all have to suffer the way she has suffered, right? Why should we get to avoid that fate? The only reason she raves about motherhood now is that it pays her bills, being the poster child for Mommy Bloggers. If she told the truth, she’d have to go out and get a job again!

I just don’t really see all this “mom bashing” done by childfree, at least not the way they see it. Of course, I don’t spend a lot of time on childfree message boards, but if that’s where it’s going on, I have wonder why mothers are spending so much time on childfree message boards! Where do they get the time? Aren’t they supposed to be SO BUSY raising kids? I don’t even have kids to raise but I don’t have time to read message boards!

I write a childfree journal where I “rant” about bad parenting, but I don’t bash MOTHERS as much as I complain about bad and irresponsible behavior by parents and/or kids. No where on my site do I write “All parents are horrible and no one should be allowed to have kids!” although the mommy bloggers always accuse me of saying those things. I think a lot of the “bashing” that they think is going on is all in their heads.

Keep in mind, they also think all the other moms are out to get them. Breastfeeding vs. non breastfeeding wars, co-sleeping vs. anti-co-sleeping wars, vaccinations vs, anit-vac wars, homeschooling vs. public schools vs. private school wars, working vs. nonworking mothers…. they think everyone is out to get them, not just the childfree.

One of the things I like to complain about is how mothers have websites like “MOMSrising” and MOMMYsavers” as if only MOTHERS need the equal rights and only MOTHERS need to save money, but then they’ll turn around and complain to childfree women that we don’t have enough “Sisterly Solidarity” and we don’t support their causes enough. How “we women need to stick together.” But then look, just like a high school clique, they turn around and exclude us and look for things that benefit *them*, but they certainly want nothing to do with the childfree movement and they would prefer it if we would just shut up.

That is my biggest problem with the mommy bloggers. It’s not a two-way street with them. They want us to accept and embrace their choice and help them in their fights for special mom rights, but they are not reciprocal in any way.

Personally, I have no problem with people who have kids, I just want them to do it responsibly and without stepping on everyone else’s toes. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I would even cease ranting about bad parenting if parents (in general) were doing it — policing themselves and demanding responsibility, maturity and fairness in other parents. These days of “anything goes” parenting and “no matter how bad a parent is, no one can criticize them” is ridiculous.