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A woman who has vowed to never have kids says she’s been met with a harsh backlash from strangers accusing her of being selfish.
Marcela Munoz, from Kansas City in Missouri, has decided against having children, because she doesn’t like the thought of morning sickness or having to get by on little sleep. You can see her talk about her decision here:
The 27-year-old said that she often comes under attack from parents who say she's being 'selfish'.
Marcela, who calls herself a 'Child-free millennial', said: "You have to be very vulnerable to be able to tell people you don’t want kids, and then their immediate reaction is that they're shocked, so it can spark arguments and controversy.
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"When I first started to realise having children wasn't for me I started googling what to do if you don't want kids. I felt like I was the only person in the world who felt this way as there was hardly anything online for advice.
"If I had found someone like me when I was googling what to do and sharing facts, I would have been so relieved, that's why I want to make relatable content for people who might be in the same position.”
Marcela says she doesn’t dislike kids - and even used to work as a nanny - but that she’s ruled herself out of being a parent.
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She explained: "I have severe phobia of throwing up and I know that when you are pregnant you feel all these things.
There is no way I could do that.
"Also the fact that I have no desire what so ever. When it comes to me living my life, I have strong desires and I will do it, like starting my YouTube channel and I did it, so if I don’t have that desire, if I'm not fully in it. I've never had baby fever, for me it's a no.
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"I can wake up and make myself breakfast after sleeping in, and not having to get kids ready for school. I can go to the store when I need to, there is no packing up in the car and putting the kids in the car just to go and buy some milk, my life is so much easier.
"It isn’t stress free, but easy and simple grocery shopping or going to the post office, it's just me and I don't have to worry.
"I know that there are a lot of people who disagree with me which is fine, but there are also a lot of people who agree with me and relate with what I say.
"I don't judge people for being parents, so people shouldn't judge me for not having them, I just want everyone to live their best life and do what is best for them."
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She added that she does 'love and appreciate kids and their parents' and has 'nothing bad to say about parents'.
"I love mine and two of my older brothers are parents too, but my brothers always tell me how little sleep they get and I see the things they can't do that I can and I don't think I could give them up." Marcela said.
"Freedom is a huge thing for me, I love that I can just travel anywhere on a whim when I want to. I love that I can sit around and do nothing when I need to as well.
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"If that is what you desire who am I to stop you, but when parents come and stop me to ask me why I'm speaking about this and making my social media about this doesn’t define me as a person.
"People say I'm going to regret it and that I can only buy so many dogs but it won't fulfil me. I can see where they're coming from, as their kids have brought them their joy, but they need to understand and respect that there are people out there who don’t agree with them.”
Claire Reid