The Flight Into Egypt, Victor Paul Mohn

Hating children isn’t normal:

I’ve noticed a trend in recent years of people genuinely hating children. No, I’m not talking about people who just don’t want kids. That is completely fine. What is not fine is the people who truly think children should not be allowed in public. People who think children should not be allowed to behave like children.

Personally, I think this has ties to iPad kids issue. People hate when children act like children in public. So, parents have started giving their kids cartoons and games in public. If they don’t, they get judged and harassed for simply being in the space they are in.

Children are a part of society. People seem to have completely forgotten this fact. Children are people too. They have real feelings that are deserving of respect. Yes, that baby is crying. If you were hungry and physically could not feed yourself, you would cry too. Yes, that toddler is crying, that is the age stage where children are being taught emotional regulation.

“Kids need to be banned from public spaces.” Do you hear yourself? Do you hear how insane that sounds? Replace “kids” with any other group, I dare you.

This also expands to people hating parents. People get called selfish for having kids. For doing the very thing human bodies are designed to do. (No I am not saying everyone has to have kids. I’m saying from a biological standpoint your body is made to procreate). I’ve seen people make comments about parents essentially saying they must be miserable because they “have to” watch their kids activities. Because they go to sports games, they go to school talent shows. Like okay, it’s not for you. But I would do anything to get to give a child the happiness of their mom watching them participate in the things they love. And so would so many other women. And that’s okay.

Mothers are not miserable. Fathers are not miserable. If they love their child they are happy with getting to do these things. They don’t view it as “I have to go to my kids soccer game tomorrow” they view it as “I get to go to my kids soccer game tomorrow”.

Don’t start with the “what about ism” that constantly gets thrown into these arguments either. Yes I’m aware there’s people who have kids who don’t love their kids. That does not mean nobody does. You are taking a minority and generalizing it to the whole group. Another thing I would love for you to replace with any group other than kids and see where you stand.

You are allowed to not want children of your own. Of course you are. That is a personal decision. However, you do not get to choose for the entire world whether they have kids or not. You are entitled to a child free life not a child free world. People are allowed to do things you personally would not do.

Children aren’t even old enough to have done anything to hate them for. They are perhaps the strangest group to hate. Children are the very definition of innocent. Yet you still hate them.

If you hate children, you are the problem in that equation. Children have hardly even existed yet. You don’t have a real reason to hate them. You just hate seeing people be happy with choices you wouldn’t personally make.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you; and give you peace. Can I get an amen in the notes

I found this template online a few months ago. It comes in handy when you don’t know where to start. So far my house is spotless and I’m not stressing out.

“Get into the habit of asking yourself, does this support the life I am trying to create?”

— Irisa Yardenah

Happy International Women's Day!