Woman's Boomer Co-Worker Lectures Her About Having Kids. A Blunt 4-Word Demand Shuts The Convo Down

Having kids is a very personal decision, but that doesn't stop people from weighing in. Repeatedly. With no regard for privacy or feelings or even a tiny modicum of respect. Sometimes the most invasive questions on fertility and reproduction deserve a blunt response to reaffirm your boundaries, which is exactly what one woman did when her boomer co-worker tried to convince her to have children. (Is this seriously the first time she's heard someone say "no" to having kids?)

In the r/BoomersBeing Fools subreddit, a 42-year-old woman shared her experience getting hounded about reproduction from an older co-worker. "She asked if I was going to have some and I jokingly reply 'f*** having kids,'" the woman recounted. "To this, her jaw drops, and her face goes red and goes 'how dare you! I have kids and I love them!'"

After this, the older co-worker continued to try and convince the woman to have children despite her saying that having children "doesn't make sense" for her. (In our opinion, the older woman didn't even deserve that explanation!) What happens next is so empowering. "She says 'you should think about it' to which I said 'you should mind your own business' which flustered her but she shut up after that," the woman wrote. Good for her — and it's a good reminder for everyone that the best time to ask someone about kids is never.

This woman on Reddit is sadly not the only one whose decision not to have kids was so openly critiqued by others. In the comments, one person wrote that she was talking to a boomer co-worker about getting married, and when the topic of her not having kids came up, the woman replied, "Why even get married?" Yikes! Another shared, "I've run into a few angry boomers over the years insisting I'm wasting my life because I didn't want to have children." Wasting their life?! Talk about dramatic.

If you choose to have kids later, you're not alone. In fact, many celebrities are also opting out of having children entirely. Americans in general are having fewer babies, partly due to rising costs that make everyday items more expensive — plus the astronomical cost of childcare itself.

Of course, you never need to defend yourself. Not having children is a perfectly viable choice even without a reason. Being a parent is hard work, a huge time commitment and, again, a personal decision. It's not up for debate, and if anyone disagrees, simply shut them down by reminding them to mind their own business like the woman on Reddit. Expletives are optional depending on how strongly you feel. You won't hear any judgement here!