Dateline: since forever. I'm a non-breeder. I'm in the minority, apparently, in that I have no kids. Sans breeding. Not contributing to the destruction of the planet. Well, other than my bitcoin of course.
Anyhoots, for my entire adult life I've been on the receiving of endless parenting stories. My kid did this! My kid did that! My kid is going to summer camp! My kid got their braces off! My kid got accepted to college! My kid got their driver's license! My kid got their first job! My kid got promoted!
Etc.
So what's the point of this blurb? In no nada zero cases, going back to eternity, has a parent declared: hey I know you have no kids but I'm certain you'll be just as fascinated with them as we are! Complete lack of awareness in their audience. This is precisely the same as me telling them (or everyone I meet, anywhere) about my latest piece of stereo equipment:
I just bought a used Sanders Magtech amplifier! Unique power supply design! 500 watts into 8 ohms! 900 watts into 2 ohms! Can you believe those numbers? Sounds amazeballs paired with my new KEF Blade2 speakers! You gotta hear it! Sublime!
No, I don't talk like that to friends, colleagues, strangers. Why would they possibly care? They wouldn't. More to the point: I'm aware they would have no interest in this. Ergo, I keep it to myself. Outside of my audio gearhead buddies of course. But that's the audience for that kind of update. I have a mack daddy stereo. They have mack daddy stereos. We have a shared interest in the topic.
Ergo my point: non-breeders don't give a rip your kid made the basketball team. Or scored a soccer goal. Or is playing clarinet. Parents care about that, every minuscule milestone that simply makes up the steppingstones of my life, your life, everyone's life. Non-breeders are not parents. By definition. So why do you parents keep updating everyone in your office breakroom, even the young interns, with the latest minutia of your kids?
But we're (apparently) listening you say? Right, as opposed to declaring to your face: hey I don't care about your kids. And having that spread through the office like wildfire, ruining a career. Or through your circle of pals, family, whatnot. What kind of person wouldn't be super interested in your kid? Someone terrible! That's who!
You see this, we don't:
