STFU parents.

I'm spending this week with the whole damn family, including my darling nephews, ages 5 and 3.

My nephews immediately flock to my significant other whenever we come around. The running joke is that they're sexist and think my partner is way more fun than I am because he's a duuuude. Though I do wish they'd give me more love and attention sometimes, what can you do. Kids are kids.

Yesterday morning the oldest woke and climbed into my lap. It is rare that I get to hold my nephews and was absolutely delighted that he wanted to cuddle for 30 seconds before jumping down and running to his mom. You look like a natural, my dad commented, followed by, see, you don't hate kids after all, do you now.

Then my head exploded.

My partner and I have been dating for almost two years, and every time I'm around my family there's a relentless you're going to have 10 boys har har har commentary. Every. Single. Time. I've told them repeatedly that I don't know if I'm going to have kids and that I don't appreciate the fact that they bring it up every fucking time I come home.

Dear parents. Kindly Shut The Fuck Up. I know I am your heterosexual daughter and that means I should want to have teh babiez right away, but guess what. It's not up to you to decide whether or not I reproduce.

I am 22 years old and don't enjoy the fact that my reproductive future is talked and joked about constantly. Their joking comes from an ingrained societal expectation that I become a baby factory. I already have enough pressure from the patriarchy that tells us that women who don't want to fulfill their maternal "instincts" are bad, weird people, and it is so incredibly upsetting that my own goddamn parents buy into and support this bullshit. I shouldn't have to think about having kids of my own right now.

The thing that also kills me is the fact that my dad said "see, you don't hate kids!!!!!!" Um, when did I ever say that I hated kids? Especially my nephews? Just because I might not want children of my own does not equal hating kids.

What's so incredibly ironic is this: while my parents are more than comfortable with the thought of me having a child that I will inevitably have to care for and raise for the rest of my fucking life, they don't exactly support the fact that I want to go into speech pathology. Why? Oh, we just don't think you have enough patience to work with kids all day...

Brilliant.