I drive around town in a little black Toyota Celica. I was so excited to be moving back to my home country and state of California, I celebrated by ordering my first ever custom plates last fall. Apparently, someone already had PRPL WMN, so I had to settle for PPL WMN. Now, that could stand for People Woman, instead of Purple WomenTM. It's not a bad connotation, but I am pretty happy with what I got, and even if I am the only one who knows what it really stands for!Unless of course, I am asked by someone directly. I had a reason to stop by a new acquaintance's house on Sunday. He was showing me around when his wife came home from the store. I would describe them as one and a half generations ahead of me, true blue baby boomers with all the trappings, probably three kids would be my guess -- as a purple woman, of course, I didn't inquire. His wife noticed my license plate and asked me about what it meant, so I told her about the blog that I've been running for two years. I said it was about women who are childfree. She made a joke and in a plaintive wail said, "You mean what do you do when the children are gone?" Um, no. That's not exactly what we are doing here.
Her husband came to my rescue; I think I had given him my Purple WomenTM business card when we were first introduced, and he has probably paid us a visit in the blogosphere. He said, "You know two of our daughters are childfree."
Technorati Tag: Childfree
Who said the children are going to leave? They're often staying put, or going back home to live with mummy and daddy. I just did a post on parents, now unable to retire because they're funding their entitlement minded kids. The parents? Are in their late 50's, 60's and even 70's.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes the grandparents are paying childcare for their kids kids.
What a thought.
I have some friends who are suffering from the empty nest syndrome. I make a point to teach them how to live childfree. It's a huge adjustment but they eventually learn that there is more to life than raising kids.
ReplyDeleteI feel really sad for the parents that Britgirl speaks of. Most of them never imagined they were signing up for a lifetime of dependent children.