A Childfree Woman and a Man of the Year are elected to celebrate this day, and those that want to get included can nominate a person for this award. The particulars of how to do this are given on the official site, and a panel of judges choose a male and female winner from the nominated candidates. These are announced on the same day, with the selected man and women receiving a few small prizes in honor of their award. You can nominate a Childfree parent for this event and celebrate by hashtagging #InternationalChildFreeDay on August 1st.
International Childfree Day 1, August 2018
A study in 2005 also demonstrated that parents are more likely to suffer from depression when compared to people without children, according to a press release from the American Sociological Association.
The blog Childfreedom also mentions some potential benefits of not having children:
1) “You will have the capacity and time for meaningful, engaged, quality adult relationships.”
2) “You will have the time and energy to exercise regularly and take care of your health and appearance.”
3) “You will have the freedom to come and go at will – you will remain independent, self-determined and autonomous.”
4) “Your life will have a manageable and comfortable pace. You will not be harried and stressed out, running around like a headless chicken trying to do it all.”
Dr. Jeanette Raymond, a clinical psychologist and author of “Now You Want Me, Now You Don’t! Fear of Intimacy: Ten ways to recognize it and ten ways to manage it in your relationship,” said in an email that there are five major benefits of choosing to be childfree:
1) “Avoiding anxiety”
2) “Never have to worry about being a bad parent”
3) “No competition with other parents to be the best”
4) “Never getting blamed by your children for screwing them up”
5) “Never having to be conflicted about focusing on yourself or your children”
There are also two benefits of choosing not to have children versus giving in to pressure to have children when you don’t want them:
1) “Making choices based on a solid sense of self and your needs is empowering and makes you less reliant on others to make you feel good.”
2) “Avoids relationships based on doing what others want or expect just to maintain that connection.”
International Childfree Day: Many Ways To Celebrates Mental Health Benefits
While you think about finding support for International Childfree Day here are some ways you can kick off your celebration:
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Send thank you cards to the people in your life who have supported your choice to be childfree.
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Send out notes to your childfree friends and family letting them know you’re happy for them.
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Write a letter to someone who hasn’t been supportive of your choice and let them know your life is great and that you forgive them.
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Have a festive dinner at your home with your loved ones.
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Spend the day at the beach with your friends.
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Join other childfree men and women for a Childfree Google Hangout with me.
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Go out for a nice breakfast.
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Write a poem about being childfree.
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Send your childfree partner/spouse/friend flowers.
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Plant your favorite tree to commemorate your decision to live childfree by choice.
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Read books about being childfree.
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Have a big party that lasts all night.
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Give yourself the gift of relaxation.
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Write a letter to yourself about what you want to accomplish in the next 5 years and put in an envelope with the date that you can open it.
Whatever you decide to do on International Childfree is up to you. Make sure you do something that you love and spend a little time with the people who are most important to you. That is one of the best formulas for a terrific celebration.
How will you be celebrating International Childfree Day? Let us know in a comment below.
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