Thread by @monaeltahawy

It's #MothersDay in the UK today, so here's my essay Unmothering

open.substack.com/pub/feministgi…

My paternal grandmother had eight children. My maternal grandmother had 11 children (she was pregnant 14 times).

My mother is the eldest of those children and she has three children of her own.

I am the eldest of those children and I am glad to have none of my own.

I am happy with the life I have created. I have never wondered what it would have been like to have children. I say that because we often hear “you’ll regret it when it’s too late.” Well, here I am on the other side -- it is “too late” -- and I am here to say: I do not regret it.

What would the freedom to choose, for all, look like?

feministgiant.com/p/unmothering

When I started saying in public lectures about 15-20 yrs ago that I was childfree by choice, women would track me down in a corridor, backstage, or in the bathroom to whisper “Thank you. I have never heard another woman say that out loud before.”

I hope we hear it more now and from more people.

Most books/essays I've seen about being childfree by choice are written by white cis women. We need to hear from more women of colour and of different cultural & faith backgrounds as well as trans men and non-binary people.

I'm working on my own book.

Until I write it, read and share my essay Unmothering and others here, all free to read and share.

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feministgiant.com

If I had a daughter, I would have taught her to disobey everything I taught her. I wrote this poem for her. feministgiant.com/p/unmothering