Alicia Mccarvell responds to criticism on post about being childfree: 'Stop asking'

Alicia Mccarvell and her husband Scott are being clear: they're not having kids.

The Canadian influencer couple took to Instagram again to share their decision, after Mccarvell received some backlash on her "childfree" post just days prior.

On Thursday morning, Mccarvell posted the opposite of a pregnancy announcement in a poster-style edit. It read, "Surprise! We're not having babies — ever," above an image of the two with an emoji of a baby crossed on Mccarvell's belly.

The Halifax-based content creator penned a caption explaining their decision to remain childfree.

"I've never felt 'drawn' to being a mom, it's never felt like 'mom' was supposed to be a part of my future," she wrote.

"Scott and I talked about kids, like you do when you’re 16, we even had names for our future kids when we believed it was what we were supposed to do."

Mccarvell recalled sitting together one day and talking about picturing their life in five years. As it turned out, neither of them pictured kids. "We both realized children weren’t a requirement for our future, and that we had a choice in what we decided for ourselves."

The two had to have "tough conversations" with their friends and family, and despite the pressure, ask for respect for their decision.

"We choose to be childfree because that’s what feels right for us, not because we hate kids, or because we think being a parent is too hard, or because we'd be miserable with them," Mccarvell explained.

She quipped the pair loves being "auntie and uncle," adding "we just also think it’s cool to give them back."

The 33-year-old wants people to know asking when someone is having kids is unnecessary, and can be "heartbreaking" for those struggling with infertility.

"I’m respectful if you want kids, I’m respectful if you can’t have them and I’m respectful if you don’t want them," she claimed, adding she wants to "normalize the right to choose."

Mccarvell's followers, including parents and childfree individuals, rushed to praise the influencer for her message.

"People get way too invested in other people’s baby making!," one Instagram user wrote. "Having kids is lovely, not having kids is also lovely! Let people live the life they want."

Another added that it can be OK to ask people if they want kids. "But it's not okay to keep asking about the topic or to put pressure on people about having kids. It is a very big decision about the rest of your life. So no one else has anything to say about it but you!," they added.

"I appreciate you so much for putting your heart out there in this way," someone commented. "Our society conditions us to make us feel like we have to do certain things, kids being one of them."

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