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Adrianna's avatar

I really appreciate personal insights like this. Hearing from many parents that childrearing prevents parents from reliably being able to access the kind of uninterrupted creative time I live for has helped me feel more solid in my decision not to have children. (This isn't me being snarky, either—it's really hard to feel confident about that decision when most of your friends are pregnant or plan to have kids!) I think it's also helpful because, as a childfree person, I'd love to help my parent friends access that creative time however I can: by babysitting so they can have a few hours to create, by connecting directly with their artistic side through conversation, etc. Everyone deserves to preserve that part of themselves, even if they can't work on their art on a regular basis.

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Sarah Shotts's avatar

I feel this. I think before parenthood I didn’t realize how essential art was to me. It felt superfluous. It is not. It is how I process the world, how I regulate, and how I connect. When I don’t make art things get very dark.

I only have one kid, but he’s 5.5 now and these last 6 months things are finally easier. He plays Zelda while I redesign my webpage. Or we draw together. And FINALLY we’re not sick all the time. The early years are brutal.

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