International Childfree Day

I never write about what I do on International Childfree Day, but given JD Vance’s recent comments, which explicitly disparaged women without kids, I felt it was appropriate.
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I was up at 5:30; I had brought Chester into my new home the evening before.  He’d been staying with Grandma over the past couple of months while I went through all the fun associated with moving; the transition would have been way too chaotic for him. 

Chester’s pretty much taken over the couch; in essence, he said, “You sit on the recliner now!”  I’d made an appointment with 1-800-GOT-JUNK to discard a door and some blinds left by the previous owner, as well as an old bedframe that was tossed to the side in favor of a new one.  There was another one with a blinds installer, who was able to get me in thanks to a rescheduled appointment.  Now the place feels complete.

On the work front, I was certified in Quality Matters (QM), a program that oversees the design of online, asynchronous college courses, which are more popular than ever.  At my school, all such courses are required to be QM-compliant; I’m teaching such a course.  I spent much of the spring designing it, and I submitted it in July.  After receiving feedback, I spent much of the morning revising it – all for the benefit of students who did not spring from my loins.

On the personal front, I heard from Steph, one of my fellow childfree soldiers, who wished me a Happy Childfree Day with this lovely meme:

I might have liked to see at least one picture of a single person, but hey, progress is progress.  Matt, also childfree, invited me to trek up to Baltimore to see a free performance from a group called Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.  Pete had proposed this a month earlier, but I’m involved in a nonprofit that helps the homeless; we have our business meeting the first Thursday of every month.  As far as I know, I’m not responsible for any of their births either.  But I do help them.  If that’s not a stake in the future, I don’t know what is.  Hear that, JD?
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After a jog and a nice lunch, I went down to the library to borrow a copy of Adam Sandler’s 50 First Dates.  The only reason I’d watch it is for research on my book on film tropes involving singlehood, which this film most likely has in spades.  My hope is that this book will help people view pro-romance and anti-single tropes in film more critically.  I’d say that’s skin in the game.
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Later that night, I talked with fellow childfree friend and singles crusader Christina of Onely.  It was a deep conversation in which we helped each other with some personal issues.  Pretty unselfish if you ask me.

I also had a nice dinner of leftover chicken tikka misala from nearby Commonwealth Indian Restaurant.  I’ve gotten some nice garlic naan at Whole Foods to round it out.  During the meal, Chester gave me that look that said, “Give me treats, human!”  I did so.  Taking care of a cat that some family abandoned once they popped out a child: well, I’d say that’s pretty selfless.

Last year, I became an organizer for a group called Childfree Singles of the DMV.  I took a break this summer while I was immersed in moving, but when I saw a lady named April make a Happy Childfree Day announcement to her Annapolis-based group, I followed suit. From there, I organized a Meetup for September at a Filipino restaurant called Purple Patch, recommended to me by my good friend Mark.  Such gatherings provide a safe space for childfree people in a world that stigmatizes them. I’ve formed friendships with others and have seen some of these folks do the same with each other.  Who knew that a single, childfree person cared enough about society to try to bring people together!?

And now for something lighthearted: during my trip to Giant Food, I passed by someone in an aisle, and right after saying excuse me, I said, "Happy Childfree Day." I figured it's appropriate given how many people have said "Happy Father's Day" to me, assuming I’m father of human children.

When I went to Whole Foods, I said the same thing to the cashier there.  She said, “Thank you.”  I don’t know if she knew about it or was just being polite.  But I think we should normalize doing so.  So I’ll be doing that next August 1 as well.

My next piece will be about how we should have a Childfree March next August 1.  Stay tuned…