Harassed by the under-ten set...

[etakyma]

What IS it with five year old girls? Back in 2008 when my youngest niece was turning five in a couple of months she and I had a serious/funny conversation where she informed me I could "get" a baby - like it was as simple as picking one up at the corner store.

Today, the twins who live next door - T and C, who informed me today they Just Turned Five wanted to know if I had kids (which, wait, what? THEY LIVE NEXT DOOR! Don't they think they might have NOTICED if I had any kids running around the place?).

And then wanted to know why not. And did I know I could *get* kids.

WHY is my status as single-no-kids so endlessly fascinating to little girls of a certain age? Do other women get this subtle pressure from an unexpected source?

Sure, both my grandfathers pushed me about the "unmarried" thing in the last few years of their lives. But they were pushing 90 at the time and so you kind of had to let them express their opinion. I'm certainly not OPPOSED to having a relationship and kids, but it is quite unlikely to happen at this stage of my life. At least at this point it is very unlikely I'd birth them myself (I'm getting too old for that I think) if I were to even decide it is time to go ahead and be a mother. But I've never had the burning desire to have or raise kids. Maybe in my next lifetime.

Comments

[flourish.livejournal.com]

It's probably to do with the developmental stage. I've also had kids about that age ask me if I'm married, if I have kids, etc., completely out of the blue. Maybe that's the point at which they realize that there are OTHER families besides their own? And they only know their own family, so they assume everybody must be in some family-configuration like their own?

[etakyma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, possibly. It was just a weird, unexpected conversation that took place on my front lawn as I came home this afternoon from the Farmer's Market.

Kids!