I am going to say this. Because someone needs to.
Childbearing is not some patriarchal ploy or construct devised by men in order to keep women pregnant and thus more or less physically incapacitated for months at a time, and then occupied for many years to come. It’s biology.
It physically happens. To women. No one *tells* us we are pregnant. We *are* pregnant. It is not an imaginary state of mind from which women must break free. It is actually happening. I am not saying there are not women out there who suffer from different psychological delusions and believe they are pregnant when they are actually not. Yes, this happens. And sometime this happens because a man told them they were pregnant. But for the most part, that is not the case. There is a very real baby growing inside of you. Whether you like it or not.
Which brings me to my next point. I understand motherhood is not for everyone. And I totally agree that some people should not, ever, have children. Sometimes women don’t know their inclinations until after becoming mothers, at which point they may have regrets. Sometimes it takes more than one child to really tip the scale and make a women realize just how much motherhood/housewifery/etc. do not suit her. However, by the time you are on your third kid, you would think you would have figured this out. Maybe.
Oh, and writing book after book about how much you hate your children is probably doing wonders for their psyche. Don’t worry about saving up for their college tuition, they will need the extra money for therapy bills instead.
Sounds like someone has been reading Adrienne Rich…my condolences…