I am feeling more and more alone in my status as a child-free adult these days. In recent years, I've come to the realization that I am never going to have children. Rather than depressing me, this decision has been surprisingly liberating. I've never been very maternal and my thoughts of one day possibly bearing and raising a child were always ambivalent at best and at worst, cause for panic and depression. Once I realized that I didn't have to have a child ever, that my life could be rich in many other ways and in ways that are more interesting and fulfilling to me, a huge weight seemed to slide off of my shoulders. So this is me: Child-Free for Life and happy about it. The problems I am experiencing currently though, is how child and family-biased the World is. Many of my friends are settling in and having children now. Great, go for it, congratulations, I'm happy for you. But I don't necessarily want to be around your kid all the time, or want to only talk about the kid constantly (as an aside: I have to say, most of my friends are pretty good about not doing this, they have plenty of other things to say beyond the latest infinitesimal step forward their kid has taken). As a result, I feel very adrift in my decision. Part of it is social, my friends don't socialize the way they used to. But I think more importantly, it is an attitude thing. This morning I was on the train with Michelle (who does not have children, but wants them someday) and I was lamenting how the "guys" once in a while will go out for a drink on a Friday and yet I'm never invited along because "the girls" are home with the babies (it never used to be guys vs. girls before) and how I feel somehow penalized for others' life choices. I then said something to the effect of, "I need to meet some people who are committed to being child-free." And she looked at me as if I had three heads and said, "Well, that's harsh."

... Is it? I wasn't trying to be harsh, but in all honesty, I am not a "kid person". I never was. I like my friends' kids, I am truly happy for them, especially since this is what they want. But why am I wrong for wanting to find people who have the lifestyle that I want for myself? Just because my friends have made the commitment to have children, does that mean I have to forever-more be on baby watch by default? My friends with children will still be my friends. I just don't want that to become my life as well. I'm not saying that I hate children. I just don't want to be around them all the time. Nor do I want to have to talk about them constantly either. I would like to find some additional friends who share my lifestyle and interests. Why is this wrong?