(Reposted with updates and additions from previous years' WCW Day Six We Are Worthy posts.)
The focus of Day Six of World Childless Week 2026 is "We Are Worthy."
This is a frequent WCW theme! From the website description:
Childless does not mean less of a person or less of a life. We did not see our dreams come to fruition but it is not a reflection on our personality, life style or morals. We Are Worthy of finding happiness, equality, speaking our truth and celebrating everything that we are. Our voice, our thoughts, our reality should be expressed freely without fear of other people’s opinions.
So you tell me, why WE ARE WORTHY?
*** *** ***
Back in 2018, there was an online summit for childless people during National Infertility Awareness Week on the theme of "We Are Worthy," and I wrote about it and my thoughts on the subject of worthiness here.
I can't think of any other posts I've written about worth/worthiness in particular -- but I have pointed out plenty of examples of pronatalism and how the childless/free experience has been marginalized, when I've found them. I didn't know the term "pronatalism" when I first started this blog, so I started using the tag "mommy mania" -- the best I could come up with at the time. I've since re-tagged most of those posts as "pronatalism."
The "bible" on pronatalism from a childfree (by choice) perspective would be "The Baby Matrix" by Laura Carroll (which I reviewed here). A real eye-opener, and highly recommended!
On the flip side, I suppose, would be the posts I've written about/touching on feminism, tagged as "the f word." Growing up, I was thoroughly steeped in the second-wave feminist messages of the 1970s (for good and for bad); I have always believed and often said that I am more than my uterus. Unfortunately, that's still not the message that society tends to send us or the people around us....! -- and pronatalism is, sadly, making a resurgence these days. There's a real push in some quarters to erase the progress we have made over the past century, and send women back to the kitchen. Childless/free people are increasingly, openly scapegoated for political purposes.
We shouldn't have to -- we need not -- justify or apologize for our lack of children. We are so many things besides our parental status, our ability to reproduce. We are more than our uteruses. We have so much more to offer the world than (just) children -- if the world would only take the time to stop, think, and see us -- REALLY see us. We are whole, complex, amazing, valuable, human beings, just as we are.
We are worthy.
Check out today's content on the WCW Day 6 page, including community members' contributions, and FIVE free, live webinars related to this subject, including ones related to preserving a childless legacy, writing our stories, making new connections, rebuilding your life, and a "fireside chat" with Jody Day and a great group of childless elderwomen. They will be recorded and the links will be posted later on the Day Six page and WCW YouTube channel for anyone who cannot watch live.
*** *** ***
Today is also about "Our Family Tree":
This will be an ongoing project based on love, loss and remembrance. A memorial of the children we hold in our hearts; those we dreamt of but never conceived and the children we lost during pregnancy. Our Family Tree will be twofold and you are invited to participate in one or both sections:
A list of our children’s names to recognise they live in our hearts.
A gallery where we share images that feature our children’s names. It can be as simple as handwriting their name on a piece of paper, in the sand or on your skin and taking a photo; or something you create in Canva. You can add text or images, but their name is the focus.
This is OUR FAMILY TREE
(I didn't manage to put together a submission for WCW this year -- but I did submit Katie's name for this! And I am looking forward to seeing it today!)
No comments:
Post a Comment