Woman Rejected From Nannying Job After Telling The Parents She Doesn’t Want Kids Of Her Own
Choosing to be childfree and disliking kids are not the same thing.
Yuganov Konstantin | Shutterstock A woman interviewing for a nannying position was asked by the family she would be working for if she planned on having children of her own someday. When the woman informed them she was not, she was immediately taken out of the running for the job.
Now, she is raising awareness about some of the harmful stereotypes childfree by choice women often encounter. Mainly, not wanting to have kids does not mean you dislike children.
A woman was rejected for a nannying job because the family assumed that she didn’t like children.
When Bridget Sucala was interviewing for a nanny job, the family asked her if she wanted to have kids of her own someday. Without thinking it would impact her interview, she told them she wasn't planning on becoming a mom. They didn't exactly like her answer. “They basically said, ‘If you don't like kids, then how on Earth do you like your job?'" she recalled.
Even though Sucala wasn't planning to have any kids of her own, that didn't mean that she hated working with them.
“I love my job. I've been a nanny for nine years. I adore kids. They are so precious,” Sucala shared. “But my job has also shown me how difficult it is to be a parent and how time-consuming it is.”
Since Sucala and her husband prefer a more carefree lifestyle, they decided parenthood wasn't the right choice for them. "We really like our freedom. We like a very chill, relaxed type of life, and I don't think raising a kid really fits into the type of life that we want to live. But that's not to say that we don't love children,” she said.
Childfree and disliking children are not the same thing.
The best aunties may just want to focus on their career aspirations instead of raising kids of their own. Your child’s doting godmother might prefer traveling to childrearing. Other people echoed Sucala's claims about not wanting to have children, explaining why it was a perfectly valid choice even if they happened to like kids.
“Former nanny, preschool teacher, and current child therapist. I have ALWAYS adored children. But working in those types of fields has really made me adjust my expectations and question my desires!” one TikTok user shared. “Being a nanny will show you the very real and raw reality of what having children would be like. And it’s NOT for everyone and that’s okay!!” another user wrote.
The decision not to have children is not always rooted in distaste. Every day, the number of childless Americans seems to be rising, with a Pew Research study finding that only 45% of women claimed they wanted kids in 2023.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock
More and more people are challenging the societal expectation that to be happy and successful, you must get married and have children.
Success and happiness are subjective. That means what makes one person feel happy doesn't necessarily make another person happy. It could be traveling the world solo. It could be climbing up the corporate ladder. It could be a white picket fence and two kids.
The point is, however, that just because a woman chooses not to become a mother, regardless of her reason, does not mean she dislikes kids. Each person’s circumstances, experiences, and values are unique, and these factors can significantly shape their decision. Parents do not have the right to assume that kids are the only way to achieve happiness in life.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.