Childfree on Purpose has two meanings. First and most literally, I am childfree and I am doing it on purpose – as in, thoughtfully and intentionally. I do, however, understand that not everyone who is childfree does it on purpose which is where the second meaning comes in. I am here to talk about my purpose. As a childfree person, yes, but also just in general. I say this second one a little cheekily because people with children, we’ll call them childed people, are often saying that having children or being a parent is their purpose or that it brought meaning to their life. I’m not actually sure I believe that we each have only one purpose or one meaning but I do want to emphasize that you don’t have to be childfree on purpose in order to explore your purpose as a childfree person. 

There are tons of websites, support groups, and social media accounts geared towards childed people. And that makes sense, learning how to raise a child is a difficult and ongoing process that requires a lot of support. But I’m here to suggest that childfree people can teach and support each other too.

I’ve been thinking – parents spend a lot of time doing parenting (on average, about 2 hours per day for 18 years). And, at the end of 18 years, society recognizes that they have done a good and hard thing – namely, raise a child. I will not be raising a child but I do still want to do a society-recognized good and hard thing – or possibly many. 

So, that’s why I’m here. To try to figure out how to spend those 2 hours a day that I won’t be spending on raising a child. What form will this take? I’m not sure yet. It could be spending time learning a new skill or starting a new hobby. It could be undertaking a huge, years-long project. It could be supporting my childed friends and family, or just sitting in and appreciating the silence of my childfree home. I just want to embrace it and do it intentionally. 

Ideally, you’ll join me. Whether you’re childfree on purpose or not, I think we can learn from, support, and inspire each other. And maybe, at the end of 18 years, we can look back at a community we’ve built and realize we have done something hard and good together.