Are Kids For Me

I am delighted to share a new podcast episode today where I talk to Storyhouse Childless founders and organisers about the event.

This is a weekend of activities and events on the topic of not having children for any reason, taking place in the beautiful Storyhouse Centre in Chester, England on Sept 28 and 29th.

I attended myself last year and found it such a fulfilling and heartwarming weekend of connecting, learning and laughing. Do check out https://www.storyhouse.com/seasons/storyhouse-childless/ for this years line up and to buy very reasonably priced tickets!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FNJTims3jJD9osqWZ2cMR?si=009aecf94f4f4722

Storyhouse Childless | Storyhouse A weekend of events to explore living without children.

Happy Childfree Day! I'm delighted to celebrate by sharing two new podcast episodes of the 'Are Kids For Me' podcast exploring this topic in an Irish context 😀

Here are the Irish times for this weekends Childfree Convention sessions -
1.The Childfree Lifecycle 3-6pm
2. Aggressively Childfree 6-7pm
3. Hey Childfree Community:Do Something! 7.15-9pm.

Subscribe on YouTube for updates, chat function and talks 😀

A great range of speakers taking part in this year's Childfree Convention!

'Still, whenever I tried to envision what it would be like to bring another human being into this world and become half of the duo meant to raise, protect and love them unconditionally until death did us part, I felt no inkling of interest or excitement to move in that direction. Not once.'

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Flifeandstyle%2Farticle%2F2024%2Fjun%2F08%2Fwhat-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew-up-banjo-player-pony-trainer-story-maker-mother-was-not-one-of-them%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1DkGDcWc90dly9n9cwPjLEGOYsunwIe-CgAjAT6A5aFj5A79cFYSXOrGA_aem_0VbZQCGX1H8FD8e4BCjlcw&h=AT2BZcN7lFT_xMSRXwXuf_yYQ1NOCx94xQME56ruL3fDPzJv20IhGhSSFrWAXDqe_mvYJ1WIJ9rLLVsw2NJQiM4W1kp1IQqndak2Og__mh3CTxEgIhIzUJXiGqfe7S9AsQ&s=1

I got married knowing I didn’t want children, and that my husband felt the same. Then he had a change of heart A late-night conversation left me spiralling: did I want to become a mother?

Delighted to be a guest on the Irish Times Women's podcast to discuss the wonderful new book 'Harpy' by Caroline Magennis, all about the hope and possibility of being childfree with a specific focus on the Irish context, please get your copies now!

Link to podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4409ehAzjyoiZtQNqudZ03?si=KbTHoeqDRZuQ5sR8MxjcPQ

If you fit the below criteria and would like to take part in this radio feature, please contact Sarah directly at [email protected]

My name is Sarah and I'm a reporter at Newstalk. I’m working on a piece about Irelands first generation of Bachelorettes for the Pat Kenny show, women who are financially independent, childfree and loving life. I'm looking at how they're living, why they're thriving and to get insight into what life is like for them. I would love to interview someone who is childfree as part of it.

Sounds like a really interesting talk by Lorna Gibb -
https://www.facebook.com/100064819085588/posts/791017963068833/

Tuesday 21st February 2024 7pm

More to Life Webinar with Lorna Gibb, brought to you by Fertility Network UK.

Join us at our UK More to Life Webinar with guest speaker, Lorna Gibb.

Lorna Gibb is an Associate Professor of Creative writing at the University of Stirling. She was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire and has a PhD from Edinburgh University in theoretical phonology. She is the author of biographies of Lady Hester Stanhope and Dame Rebecca West, a novel, A Ghost's Story, and a part memoir, part global exploration of childlessness, Childless Voices. She has written for a wide variety of publications including: The TLS, The Times, The Herald, Granta Magazine and The Telegraph.



Childless Voices – Lorna Gibb talks about her own experience of being childless, researching and writing her book Childless Voices, and how this impacted her own experience of being childless.



You will need to register in advance for this zoom event, via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_POhCSQGCTx-X5p6cSLyFYQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please note that this event will be recorded but only names of panellist will be visible at any time.

Please email any questions in advance to: [email protected]

Has anyone listened to this new podcast 'Other than Motherhood'? I was delighted to be a guest in an episode with Elizabeth and can highly recommend the episodes with Caitlin Durante about her sterilisation surgery and Ali Hall about the social challenges of being childfree especially in relationships with other people.
I'm planning to catch up on more episodes over Xmas so will share more as I go :)

Other Than Motherhood Listen to Other Than Motherhood on Spotify. A "feelings-based" podcast that seeks to expand the discourse around the decision to be childfree and an exploration on the influences and messages that impact our thinking, and all of the possibilities of a life that is other than motherhood. This Podcast...

Hi everyone, I am sharing a call out on behalf of Black Ballad Magazine, a publication dedicated to exploring significant themes and stories resonating within the Black community. They would like to speak with Black women in the UK and Northern Ireland (their target audience) who are willing to share their perspectives on choosing a childfree lifestyle. This could include your reasons for embracing a childfree lifestyle, the challenges and opportunities you have encountered along the way, and the broader societal perspectives that surround this choice. If anyone is interested in sharing your perspective, please contact [email protected]
Here is a link to the magazine for more context on the type of stories they cover -

Black Ballad - The human experience through the eyes of mixed-race & black British women Black Ballad is a UK based lifestyle platform that seeks to tell the human experience through eyes of black British women.

If possible I would just transcribe this entire session as it was pure gold but I was too busy laughing, crying and nodding!

What would make life easier for childless/childfree folk- for people to stop asking 'do you have kids,' in such a throwaway manner, as an opening question in all sorts of casual social situations.

If you do ask it, then please do not follow up it up with -
But have you thought about adoption/IVF etc. This implies its a problem to be fixed+that there is a solution.
I'd love to only have myself to think about..that is not the reality of childfree/childless peoples lives.
It's never too late you know....sometimes it just is.
Go on, you can have one of mine - deeply insensitive for many reasons.
Ooh.....deafening silence, blank stare, change the subject. Or just talk about own children as a deflection.

Yes it can be awkward but please acknowledge the answer, take a moment +think about it answer with care.
Or just don't ask the question, ask something else about the persons life/interests etc.

Compassion is never found in comparison. The importance of people being able to be authentic and accepted for themselves. All situations can have their joys and challenges and that's ok. We must validate others if we want to be validated

Parents are the bow, children are the arrow, point them in the direction you want for them but allow them to find their own way. Don't live your life through your children, it is better for both this way.

Day 2 of Childless event.
Who wants to listen to a podcast about childlessness? Lots of people actually! It is not an easy or fun topic but provides a space for childless people to share and hear their stories. This facilitates a sense of belonging, understanding and continuing learning about ourselves and others in this complex and ever evolving topic.

So lovely to meet in real life after having him as a guest on my podcast! Can't wait to read his book and share his wisdom in my client work ❤️

A fascinating discussion on, and by, men and childlessness at today. A great range of perspectives were shared. Topics explored include the challenges men can encounter around expressing emotions on the topic of not having children and their role within the childless/free community.
Participants also shared their own creative work of poetry, writing and music. reminded us that the act of creating something makes the universe a more beautiful place and we can all create something ❤️

The ever popular question- 'who's going to look after you when you get old' was explored by an amazing panel of older childless and childfree people today at .
Some aspects discussed include-
The emotional/existential safety net which having children can provide.
The very real challenges which exist in ageing without children, and how these must be named and acknowledged in order to collectively find solutions.
The vital importance of community as part of this response.
The health system depends on informal care provided by adult children. The increased number of people not having children (by choice or not) is not being planned for.
There can be great freedom in not having children - where and who to invest time, energy, love and finances into.
Issue of legacy- can it be enough for me to enjoy and treasure memories and possessions even if others won't?

Thought provoking key note address on the role of adventure (both big+small) in our lives and how it can help us to find our family of people.
We all need social connection and to feel we belong, adventure can show us what we are really capable of and create new support networks outside of the traditional family structure.

A truly moving panel discussion today at about purpose.
What does purpose mean in the context of not having children, either by choice or not?
Important to realise that a sense of purposelessness can actually be grief, which blocks us from connecting with our inherent purpose as humans.
This is compounded by the lack of and/or negative representation of women without children in media+literature.
How can there be a satisfying end to the story without a baby?
The importance of finding purpose in the 'small joys' of life, the glimmers of everyday life.
What have we stopped doing and how can we reconnect to who we are and find value in ourselves without children. What helps us to feel 'more', rather than less than, and how can we help others to do the same?

I'll be thinking about this one for quite a while!

What a beautiful location for day one of the Storyhouse Childless event!

I am very excited to be attending this event in person very soon. For people who find themselves without children, for whatever reason, with a range of events/workshops/talks etc and the opportunity to meet likeminded people.

Storyhouse Childless | Storyhouse A weekend of events to explore living without children.

There is an amazing range of workshops and webinars on every day this week for World Childless Week. Please go to https://worldchildlessweek.net/ for more details.

A thought provoking piece on what might be fueling fear of missing out around the parenthood decision -

Where Your FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) on Parenthood Really Comes From As you’ve been out and about this summer, have you seen families on vacation who looked like they were having a wonderful time — the loving parents and adorable children who all seem so connected and sweet with one another?

I am honoured to be included in this beautiful group of people discussing what International Childfree Day means to them, please watch and share!

Happy International Childfree Day 2023! Here's a special message from childfree people in honour of International Childfree Day (August 1st)!https://InternationalChildfreeDay.com

Happy Childfree Day 😍🥳

The Childfree Convention takes place this weekend! I am very excited to be taking part in two discussion panels.
One is about Childfree Mental Health and takes place on Saturday at 4pm Irish time. The second is about Fencesitters (people who are finding it hard to decide if they want children or not) and that is on Sunday at 6pm Irish time.
There is an amazing line up of topics and speakers across the weekend, all available for free and wherever you are in the world. Check out https://childfreeconvention.com/ for full details.

*New Podcast Episode*
Welcome to mini book club! Today, myself and previous guest, Julie Cobbe, are discussing the novel 'Wild Egg' by Jennifer Flint. We talk about the themes raised in the book and our experiences of reading a book which focuses on the parenthood decision.

I spoke to Julie in season 2 about her own experience of deciding to have children or not. I do recommend you listen to that if you haven't already. I want to thank Jennifer Flint for sending me on copies of her book and to thank Julie for volunteering to read it and take part in this episode.
Episode transcript available on my website.

Season 3 #4 Wild Egg Review Welcome to mini book club! Today, myself and previous guest, Julie Cobbe, are discussing the novel 'Wild Egg' by Jennifer Flint. We talk about the themes raised in the book and our experiences of reading a book which focuses on the parenthood decision. I spoke to Julie in season 2 about her own expe...

I'm delighted to be taking part in two discussion panels at the 2023 Childfree Convention on the 29th and 30th of July. All talks will be streamed worldwide, just check for your own time zones and I'll post for Ireland nearer the time.
Full details at https://childfreeconvention.com/

I really enjoyed this interview and getting to speak about what it's like to work as a therapist in general, as well as exploring the topic of deciding to have children or not 😀 (28 mins long)

Who Does That - 10th May 2023 Listen to the best DJs and radio presenters in the world for free.

New Are Kids For Me podcast episodes coming very soon!

It's great to see genuine interest in the topic of parental regret. Thanks to Dr Creaven for giving a shout out to my service, much appreciated!

Can you love your child yet regret becoming a parent? Is it possible to love your children but still regret becoming a parent? A recent study from Poland found that as many as 1 in 10 parents expressed regret at their decision. To discuss further Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Dr Ann-Marie Creavenof University of Limerick’s Department of Psychology.

Im delighted to see informed and compassionate research being done in Ireland on this topic. While acknowledging the great pain which can be involved, this piece explores the growth which can be possible for some childless not by choice women but emphasises that societal attitudes and support to women in general, regardless of motherhood status, is a key factor.

There’s more to being a woman than being a mother The longing to have a child didn’t go away for 42 per cent of the women in our study. But they found other ways to flourish