WE ARE CHILDFREE

I always thought of myself as a wimp and a scaredy cat. But then I met Meg online, something that I kept secret from my parents and the whole world. What Meg was communicating to me without even realizing it, was something that is a taboo in Russia. An idea as heinous as an act of treason. That a woman doesn’t have to be with a man or have kids.

I was blown away to learn that Meg lived free of a man, of children, having adventures and doing what she liked. I realized I was killing myself for others’ expectations of me. And that I can no longer do it! Essentially, I discovered that a woman can be free. That like Meg I can determine my life. I ran away from my home, my country, everything I had known before then. When I was followed and attacked by my parents Meg and I fled across the world, on a sailboat, to her home in BC.

I never felt sorry for having no children. On the contrary, I feel fortunate! I believe that more women than we think would forego motherhood if they weren’t under societal pressure to do so. I never felt sorry I ran from Russia. Only outside of that brutal and destructive society, could I become my true self. Most importantly, I learned to love myself and I am loved.

I dream of the world full of women who DO things. Who inspire! Who aren’t defined by their husbands or children. Who add to the world and change it rather than being only observers, accelerating our biosphere’s demise.