A Childfree City

This new year seems to be very good to me. I got back from Las Vegas yesterday and I had a great time! I went to CES where I learned about new technology and got to play with a few toys. The videos I shot are uploading but here are the images for the new interactive child replacement toys. The Pleo baby dinosaur and Paro baby seal are easier to take care of than any child or a real pet.

Pleo from www.PleoWorld.com

Paro from www.Paro.jp

Childfree is the way to be in 2010

I want to thank you all for your stories and support. There are so many people out there that give us a hard time for choosing our childfree lifestyle, but it really is worth it. I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

- Jess

I just came back from spending the weekend at my best friends house. She is recently engaged and has a very unique way of thinking of marriage.

Her idea of marriage is to show her man she is dedicated to him. And she also thinks the ceremony and reception is completely showy and too selfish for her to justify the large quantity of money. So what this means is she doesn’t believe in the religious part of a marriage but more the piece of paper. She also does not believe in the “to death do you part” saying in vows but more the “let’s make this work because I’m worth it” mentality. As you can imagine, her ceremony is expected to be smaller and quite possibly in Las Vegas. Then afterwards have a small wedding party with other friends and family members who couldn’t make the trip.

After knowing my best friend for as long as she’s been alive (25 years), I have to say that I respect her choices in saving money and also her idea on marriage vows. I would normally say that people who get engaged and married within 1 year is definitely rushing … for what? But she doesn’t have the standard stupid female perspective of:

• a better life post marriage
• wants the wedding ceremony and reception attention
• wedding gifts
• wants to take care of a baby
• wants the rings
• get away from the parents
• or any other selfish and materialistic reasons females pressure their men into getting married…

Oh, females pressuring their men into the engagement is the trend with all my younger friends. But that is a whole other story I will have to tell you about later. :o)

Anyways, I would like to say that I respect people who stand up for what they think is right. Especially when they take the time to explain to me their reasoning and the overall feeling of self control towards their personal happiness. I am so happy for her and her less than selfish decisions for rushing into a marriage.

I just spent about an hour at a local Waldorf school. My landlords’ kids school was holding a Holiday Faire and I was invited to come check it out. Now I’m usually down for the arts, different foods and people watching of these festivals so I figured why not. I will be keeping a good relationship with my landlord plus, I might be able to get some Christmas shopping done.

When I got there, I hear kids screaming as they have fun on the playground and the older kids in groups as they chat about teen stuff. While I was there I visited the tea room and the gift store. At the tea room, they ran out of hot water, coffee and hot chocolate. So I walked up and down the pastries table filling up my plate with organic, gluten free, sugar free pieces of curiosity. When I finally got some hot water for my tea bag, I sat in a 3rd graders desk listening to a students guitar playing and of course eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. Whoever these people where they were; short tempered, pushy, inconsiderate, and hella selfish. I sat there feeling myself get stiff with stress.

The gift store was no better; kids talking loudly, parents pushing me out of the way to see a products, and just a large selection of overpriced hippie stuff.

After only that hour of being completely submerged in kidom I am more stressed than when I got there. And I’m the type of person who gets tired when I’m stressed. So I am this close to calling off my dinner in 2 hours. I just want to sleep all of this anxiety away from the whole experience. In fact, I know I wasn’t the only one who was stressed out there. When I was leaving I overheard a man talk to someone on the phone saying that he hears her yelling on the phone and he doesn’t want to get into it right now…. yup

Life is way less stressful without kids. I am so happy to be childfree.