No Kidding! NYC Chapter

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No Kidding, these people don't want children

Tara Nelson
Global National
Tuesday, March 12, 2002

There are few things that give Jerry Steinberg as much pleasure as teaching.

An ESL instructor for years, he's the first to say he really enjoys kids. But as he left his twenties, he realized he didn't want any of his own.

"I had the middle class Canadian dream of 2.3 kids, wife and a dog but numerous life experiences seemed to push me off that road back onto the road towards child freedom."

As his friends with kids got busier, Jerry decided he needed new friends, without kids. So he started a social group called No Kidding. Almost 20 years later, there are 72 chapters worldwide and almost 9,000 members.

"It's just nice getting together with a bunch of other child-free people and being able to talk about things other than diapers and daycare."

And what better place to hold a childless convention, than North America's adult playground, Las Vegas.

For many members, being child-free is more than a verbal commitment. Twenty-year-old Jo Pavlov had her tubes tied three year ago. "My mantra is that it's better to make a mistake not to have children when you do decide the have them.

I actually really like kids and I have a job that I work with kids, but since I don't have kids I find I have a lot more freedom. We really do take parenting very seriously and we know it's not for everybody."

This gathering is about more than fun in the sun. Members discuss societal pressures, advertising: one member even presents his master's thesis research on the child free.

"Overall, I've seen a strong tendency toward environmentalism, they have strong feelings about deforestation, overpopulation, they tend to have a tendency toward personal responsibility."

And perhaps what they share the most, is the feeling that finally they are not alone.

If there's one message No Kidding can get out to the public. Number one, parenthood is optional. Number two, it's perfectly okay not to have kids.

For more, visit http://nokidding.net/