"My family together is the greatest gift" ...ouuuuuch 😭
I try to think of these comments as pronatalist brainwashing. If people didn’t think it was the greatest gift, they would have no reason to exist on so little sleep and money or work so hard to care for children. I follow those comments up with talking about my family, because my husband and I are a family! Our pets are family! My parents and siblings are still my family. Then it’s nice to brag about the cool stuff and experiences we have or the amazing gifts we got with our childfree money. It takes the sting out for me. When I feel down about hearing comments like that, I choose to make that a DINK treat moment and go spend $20 on coffee and a chocolate bar. My family and life doesn’t look the way I thought it would but it is no less valuable than anyone else’s. Anyway, I’m sorry people are bringing you down. It sucks to be reminded that they don’t see us. ❤️
More on reddit.com"|Family| People who laugh, cry, play, learn and dream together. The people you share your life with who loves and support each other in good times and bad. This is family"
happy family quotes without images: "The heart of a family is the love of home, and the heartbeat of home is family." - Mary Angelou "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." - George Burns T
Motivational Quote about Families
So many inward knives whenever I hear my (well meaning!) parents, in laws, siblings or friends etc say that "The greatest gift of all is my family" "All I want each year is all my family together" etc etc. It's obviously so beautiful to be part of loving families like this, but all it makes me think is how that's a gift my husband and I will never have. When we are older, there will be no family to gather together and be the best gift! I feel like stupid little things like this are part of what makes life hard, trying to explain it makes it sound insignificant but when you're living it and it's going to be your reality it definitely doesn't feel small!
Thanks for the vent and for a place of people who get it without needing to explain ❤️
I try to think of these comments as pronatalist brainwashing. If people didn’t think it was the greatest gift, they would have no reason to exist on so little sleep and money or work so hard to care for children. I follow those comments up with talking about my family, because my husband and I are a family! Our pets are family! My parents and siblings are still my family. Then it’s nice to brag about the cool stuff and experiences we have or the amazing gifts we got with our childfree money. It takes the sting out for me. When I feel down about hearing comments like that, I choose to make that a DINK treat moment and go spend $20 on coffee and a chocolate bar. My family and life doesn’t look the way I thought it would but it is no less valuable than anyone else’s. Anyway, I’m sorry people are bringing you down. It sucks to be reminded that they don’t see us. ❤️
It’s taken me a lot of time but I have learned to mentally flip the script on this comment.
Yes it is wonderful to have family around on the holidays. And family also means me and my partner, or it could mean me and siblings, nieces and parents, or me and my friends or me and my cat. Family can be 2 people, 1 person and a pet, 6-7 people or whoever I love and let into my life. Family does NOT just mean kids.
So when people ask me if I have a family I say yes bc I do. I’m no longer letting narrow minded people tell me that my partner and I are not a family.