a friend of mine wrote about this for Salon way back when, and she still gets notes from perfect strangers.

That was a great article.

"wait, everyone else on earth wants kids but me?" hits and I feel like a total dork who missed the hormonal memo.

I can identify with that. I don't want kids, never have. Most people respond with, "Oh, you'll change your mind." I'm 37 years old. When is this mind change supposed to happen?

note: I do not think parenthood would be easy or always fun. I sometimes think it would be nifty, though.

It is that! Though not easy or always fun.

What's funny and sometimes maddening is that Tom's dr. won't give him a vasectomy and mine won't give me an IUD because we're too young and those are options for "families." i.e., people with children.

Ah, well, the Nuva ring works fine, and is covered by insurance. I'd buy it full price anyway (and have).

I'm still not sure. Coffee first, maybe? :) Although I'm thinking at this rate, probably not. Could happen, I suppose.

"crotch droppings"

That's just foul. Why do people suck? If I were them growing up I'd have hated children too. If that makes sense. Which it doesn't, really.

I don't get the child hate at all. Jeez, you don't even have the stress of raising kids, why are you raising you blood pressure over every little thing ANYWAY??

"crotch droppings"

gnnnng. I had to ask someone not to use that term in my presence. And they didn't get WHY I might not approve of it. "But you don't want kids! Why should you care what I call them?!"

I need some help. I'm suddenly not doing well. I have meds to go pick up, and I'm scared. And Emily's not answering the phone. And I'm by myself.

I don't get the child hate at all. Jeez, you don't even have the stress of raising kids, why are you raising you blood pressure over every little thing ANYWAY??

I think it's because those people are actually selfish little children and hate the competition.

Nora, can you find a doc who specializes in painful periods and is willing to use the Mirena as a treatment? (My OB does and will, as I learned when getting mine.)

Oh, and yes, still loving the thing.

They could have named me Xenophobia Douchette - I wasn't getting beat up in school. There are better targets than the kid organising bare knuckle boxing, and who bitchslapped the most popular guy in the year. Still, it was different, I was teased, but unlike my sister, I'd never have let the name go. And she's just as fiercely possessive of her name now - it took her a while to grow into the love (plus her nursery rhyme tease was more annoying).

I don't hate kids. I'm not fond of groups of kids because they can be overwhelming. I love my nieces/nephews, but even all of them together (I now have 8 of them) can be too much at times.

My mom has only ever made one comment to me about having kids and that was last fall. She said, "It's strange that you've never wanted kids and yet all your nieces and nephews just love you to pieces."

I said, "Of course they do. I'm the fun aunt who plays with them and feeds them cake for breakfast. What's not to love?"