“Am I A Jerk For Kicking Out A Very Vocal Childfree Flatmate After My Wife Got Pregnant?”
Two days ago, a 29-year-old man turned to the AITA community on Reddit following an incident with one of his flatmates who has been living in his and his wife’s house for quite a while now.
“‘Kaitlin’ (32F) is quite strongly opinionated and much more social. Kaitlin is also childfree and occasionally very vocal about it (as in, it’s not constant, but when something child-related comes up she will interject without fail),” the author explained.
So when the author and his wife were finally successful in conceiving, they decided to tell both of their flatmates three months into the pregnancy. As you may suspect, the news didn’t sit well with Kaitlin. One by one, snide remarks followed and the couple was forced to make a decision.
A man wonders if he went too far by kicking out his very vocal childfree flatmate who kept making nasty remarks about the baby he is expecting with his wife
Image credits: ArtHouse Studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Matilda Wormwood (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ThrowawayNZ1997
According to a recent study by Michigan State University, most people who currently do not have children made the decision to be childfree when they were younger. Many say that people will change their minds over time, but this study says otherwise.
Making up over one-fifth of the population, the survey found that 21.6% of childfree adults have not wanted children since they were young. The survey wanted to differentiate adults who did not have children with those who did not want children.
Moreover, a Pew Research report from 2021 found that 56% of childless adults under the age of 50 who say it’s unlikely they’ll have a child simply do not want them. This could be for a myriad of reasons, but Pew points out that the leading factor is the financial burden.
And while there’s no doubt that the childfree population is growing faster than ever, it’s clear that we have to respect each other’s life choices, whether it’s opting for a childless life or becoming a parent.
When it comes to this particular incident, Redditors seem to agree that the roommate in question crossed the line in trying to dictate and criticize how the owners of the house she lived in chose to live. Some people, the author of this story included, also speculate that the roommate might have been trying to receive a reduced rent offer because of the baby in the house. The owners of the house obviously didn’t take that approach to solving the situation.
Many people expressed their support for the author and condemned the snarky flatmate
If your landlord is having kids, complaining about it nonstop is a surefire way to get evicted. Honestly, how dumb do you have to be to not understand the profit in good manners?
And what in the hell… I mean I’m very much childfree, very much on purpose and very much for life, I have no compunctions about saying so if asked - but you’ll never hear me bìtch about someone ELSES child, man, that’s just twisted. Children kind of has to exist, if our species is to continue (and I’ve honestly had up to my neck with the “humanity so bad, should die out, except not MY family because I know THEM” narrative, humanity does have good sides that are worth preserving), and they kind of have every right in the whole wide world to be kids without them or their parents getting bashed for it, that’s bυllshit. I get why some people get defensive about it, many childfree people get the “being selfish” thrown in their face - that’s no goddamned excuse to turn around and give the same crαp to others. That’s preschool behaviour; “oh yeah, well, they started it!” Stow it. You don’t like kids - move out. That’s fine. But shut the hell up while doing it. Weirdo.
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I wouldn't want to live with someone else's newborn but I would not criticise their decision to have a baby either. I'd simply move.
Disclaimer: I'm single and child-free. Statement: A couple does not have to tell ANYONE when they are trying for a baby. I've seen couples announce that they're trying, and then guess what? They get asked 20 times a day, "Are you pregnant yet?"
Also the stress of miscarriages being played out publicly when everyone knows about your trying and. One in four known pregnancies ends in miscarriage so imagine being asked about a pregnancy every day after that happens.
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If your landlord is having kids, complaining about it nonstop is a surefire way to get evicted. Honestly, how dumb do you have to be to not understand the profit in good manners?
And what in the hell… I mean I’m very much childfree, very much on purpose and very much for life, I have no compunctions about saying so if asked - but you’ll never hear me bìtch about someone ELSES child, man, that’s just twisted. Children kind of has to exist, if our species is to continue (and I’ve honestly had up to my neck with the “humanity so bad, should die out, except not MY family because I know THEM” narrative, humanity does have good sides that are worth preserving), and they kind of have every right in the whole wide world to be kids without them or their parents getting bashed for it, that’s bυllshit. I get why some people get defensive about it, many childfree people get the “being selfish” thrown in their face - that’s no goddamned excuse to turn around and give the same crαp to others. That’s preschool behaviour; “oh yeah, well, they started it!” Stow it. You don’t like kids - move out. That’s fine. But shut the hell up while doing it. Weirdo.
Load More Replies... I wouldn't want to live with someone else's newborn but I would not criticise their decision to have a baby either. I'd simply move.
Disclaimer: I'm single and child-free. Statement: A couple does not have to tell ANYONE when they are trying for a baby. I've seen couples announce that they're trying, and then guess what? They get asked 20 times a day, "Are you pregnant yet?"
Also the stress of miscarriages being played out publicly when everyone knows about your trying and. One in four known pregnancies ends in miscarriage so imagine being asked about a pregnancy every day after that happens.
Load More Replies...
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