Bingoing: Are you offending child-free couples without even knowing it?
Some people are child-free by choice and no, they won't change their minds
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Louise Thomas
Editor
Do you bingo? No, we're not talking about grabbing a dabber and heading down to your local Mecca.
We mean the annoying habit many people have when they find out someone doesn’t want kids.
Members of forums dedicated to childfree lifestyles complain relentlessly about the clichéd lines and questions that people give them when they discover their choice.
If someone offers up enough of them, the childfree person completes their imaginary bingo card - hence the name.
Some of the most complained about responses are assurances that "you'll change your mind when you get older" or asking, "Who’ll look after you when you're older?"
But, members of forums like Reddit's childfree section have snappy comebacks to most bingos thrown at them.
When one person was probed about why they didn’t want children with, “But my children love you!”
The child-free woman responded, “I can assure you that the feeling is not mutual.”
Another said they like to answer back with, “I don’t like people. I’m certainly not going to make more of them.”
One more added, “Because it would really interfere with enjoying the rest of my life doing things you can’t.”
One person was even bingo’d by t mother-in-law at her own mother’s funeral being told, “You know your mother wanted you to have kids.”
It’s not just women that are faced with unwanted questions either.
One man said he likes to respond with, “Because I had a vasectomy.”
While another added, “there is a reason that makes it very difficult for us to conceive a child…
“We are using contraceptives.”
While most bingo stories ended awkwardly, some child-free chaps are commended for their decision.
One person wrote,”A few hours ago one of the girls at work asked if we were planning on kids since we were talking about the horrors of pregnancy.
“When I said no she asked if I’d consider a surrogate and I said no, it’s not just pregnancy that disgust me but the resulting child.
“She said right on and gave me a high five.”
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