I’ve just had an image of Bugs Bunny fly into my head and I can hear him saying....
But is it? No, because World Childless Week is here for you throughout the year. This is something I touched on in my final live last night but I wanted to re-iterate some of what I talked about and share a few more thoughts.
After seven days filled with such emotional content we all need some time to sit back and allow our thoughts to calm. The week can feel overwhelming for all involved and to wake up and find the barrage of constant information has suddenly stopped can leave a feeling of bewilderment.
World Childless Week can evoke so many feelings and reactions. Some of the positives people describe are: a sense of community and belonging, the discovery of an inner confidence to speak out, a strength they never knew existed, the power of feeling part of a united voice, the overwhelming feelings of love and support from those who understand. Some of the negatives are the re-emergence of grief, the sadness of others stories, the fear of admitting this is their community, the worry that they have not participated enough and the lack of support from friends and family.
World Childless Week has daily topics so that we can explore different aspects of being childless and as such different days create different reactions and draw different audiences. Some topics feel more relatable or easier to read whilst other initiate a feeling of foreboding so we stay away. Whatever your inner voice tells you to do is right and should be listened to. You need to prioritise your own self care. I just hope that you will have found something within the sevens day that has helped you.
Because there was so much content I want to give everyone the opportunity to see everything again in a more gentle fashion. In the coming months I will share 2 or 3 articles each week. This will allow you the opportunity to read the ones that you have missed, could not face originally or want to revisit. This also allows each person who submitted something to have the respect of their own day.
Over the next few weeks I will also be sharing any late submissions that people have sent in that they were inspired to write because of what they have read by others. If something has resonated within you and you want to share your words or your art please get in touch. I’ll quickly add here that we are very protective of our audience and anything that does not fall under the World Childless Week ethos, does not support World Childless Week or may cause upset will not be accepted.
I would also like to hear your thoughts about this year’s World Childless Week. The plus points, the negatives and what you would like to be included. We can’t fit everything in and we can’t please everyone but your thoughts really do matter to me and the rest of the team.
The reaction to #IamME has been overwhelming. The positivity contained within those photos is inspirational and I find myself smiling from ear to ear each time I look at the gallery. If you have created your own #IamME photo and would like to share your reasons for choosing your positive affirmations and why you decided to participate please get in touch. We would love to feature your photo and share your story.
I really want to build on World Childless Week representing our community across the world and throughout the year, because it is not about me, it is about all of us.
Two important factors of World Childless Week were not at the forefront of any discussions this year so I feel it is only right to mention them today. Many people will not know the significance of the date of World Childless Week or why I chose the Forget Me Not as our symbol. You can read my original post about the Forget Me Not here but in summary it is resilient and comes back year after year, it will not sit quietly and be forgotten as we will not forget our unborn children. In addition to these original thoughts is that each stem holds a multitude of small flowers. Each flower represents our individuality within a strong and supportive community. I spent several months researching for a date that was relevant to our community and eventually decided on the 16th September. It is a day for all of the wrong reasons but those reasons are why it is important to us and why we are claiming the 16th September as our day each year.
Finally I want to say thank you again for everything that you do: the likes, comments, sharing a link, submitting your article, for being a Champion, for sending me your support and love. I also thank those of you are staying quietly in the background because I know you are there and I am thankful that you have found us. One day I hope that everyone will confidently say
“I am childless but more importantly I am me.”
From this moment until then, I promise you’re not alone.
Stephanie Phillips
Founder, World Childless Week