Frequently Asked Questions

How did The Childfree Life come about?
Once upon a time, there was a group of intelligent, thoughtful, funny and wise people who met on another internet forum, and talked at length about their childfree lives, choices, and problems. As this forum was on a women’s site, mothers that dropped in saw fit to complain about what they read. They didn’t like our language, our opinions, or our choices. The site owner (a parent) agreed. As a result, the rules were changed, the site was censored, accounts were deleted, and the group felt the need to move on. We took that opportunity to create a new home for ourselves, and for other moderate childfree people. The Childfree Life is the result. We hope you enjoy it.

Why do we need another childfree site?
There are a number of great childfree resources on the web, and more are springing up every day. We’re a growing movement, but as yet, there’s not a huge public awareness of who we are, what we represent, our hopes, dreams and motivations. We’d like to change that. Our vision is to become a hub of the online CF community, a central location for articles, resources, and thoughts about all things childfree, including the best and busiest forum on the web. We know that some of the childfree communities are a little “hardcore” for the average person, but there’s a lot of “parent-pleasing” on the more women-oriented sites. We’d like to be somewhere in the middle – a “moderate” voice, if you will.

We welcome the opinions and questions of childfree people of both genders, and supportive others. We’re here to lend a sympathetic ear, give an opinion, and support people without judgment in their childfree choices.

Why can't I see the site properly?
Having issues with viewing our site? This site uses Cascading Style Sheets, which cannot be displayed properly by Internet Explorer 6 or previous versions. Firefox is our preferred browser (and is what we used in building the site). Firefox can be downloaded free from the Mozilla Foundation's website. We recommend against using Netscape, as support for the program has been discontinued.

What happened to ChildfreebyChoice?
Childfreebychoice.com has closed down, but its message board is alive and well. You can find it here: Childfree Thinker Discussion Boards

Do I have to censor what I say here, like some of those other sites?
We’re reasonable people and understand the frustrations that being childfree can bring, so we encourage people to “let it out”. However, we will NOT tolerate disrespect of our lifestyles and choices, trolling, preaching, intolerance, excessive bad language, or associated idiocy. Please read the rules for more clarification. We have multiple moderators, and we’re not afraid to use them.

Don't understand what we're talking about?
The childfree have a language all their own, and it can be a little confusing for someone new to the scene. Please check out the childfree glossary.

What is that title underneath my screen name on every forum post?
That is your ranking title. Ranking titles are just a fun way to keep track of how many posts you have made on The Childfree Life forums. We wanted our ranking titles to be unique and reflect the critical thinking that often goes hand-in-hand with childfree living. Here they are:

Special or customized rank lines may appear under the names of staff members and founding members.

Who pays for this site?
TCFL is a privately owned site and is paid for through advertising, and by the donations of members and friends. Volunteer labor can only go so far – we still have bills to pay. If you would like to advertise or make a donation to our cause, please use our contact form and ask us how.

Want to get involved?
We’re always looking for well-written articles for The Childfree Life. Rather than articles about “why I’m childfree” we’re asking for points of view that inform and enlighten our readers, and provoke thought and discussion. Think you have an angle? We’d love to hear about it – please visit the Submit Content page for more information.

Browse around the site, dig through the Article Archive, register in the forums, and add your voice to the discussions. This is your lifestyle; share it with us!

Want to link to us?
We’re happy to spread the love, and point people in the direction of your childfree site or blog. Please check our links page – if you’re not there, and would like to be added, please drop us a line at

Don't see the answer you need?
Questions that we haven’t covered above? Please use the contact form and one of our administrators will be pleased to help out.