We should be able to judge parents by the same standards we judge the childfree.

Every time I bring up that parents should be held to the same standards of having children as the childfree are judged for NOT having children, I get scoffed at or met with silence. Why is that?<br><br>Parents get to have all sorts of choices: <br>1. If a mother wants an abortion, she gets one. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t. <br>2. First baby was a mistake? Well, we all make mistakes. <br>3. First five babies were a mistake? Well… you get the point. <br>4. Parents can literally starve their children to death and only get 5 years in prison (as long as they are also married to the child’s other parent, otherwise it’s 10 years!). <br>5. If a parent can’t afford to feed their children, they can apply for govt aid. <br>6. It’s not weird if a parent doesn’t want to have grandkids. <br>7. If a parent is 40 and doesn’t want more kids, that’s fine. <br><br>Meanwhile, the childfree are judged on totally different standards:<br>1. Wanting to not have a child is such an extreme decision we must see a shrink first. <br>2. If you change your mind at 30, you’re too old. <br>3. If you change your mind at 40, that’s too weird.<br>4. If you can’t afford kids, you shouldn’t have them, but we’re also going to shame you for not being able to hack it in this economy and not having the means to have kids. <br><br>Like wtf? Why is having a child considered the default while not wanting kids is considered extremely weird? Both choices require planning, economic means and a tremendous amount of sacrifice and responsibility. But the parents get all the slack, while the childfree are judged by totally different standards.