Why do organizations like NO KIDDING! exist?
Because, whereas many organizations exist for those who have become parents, few organizations exist whereby the childfree and childless can meet each other for activities of interest to them. NO KIDDING! allows adults to get together for fun activities with other adults who have other things to talk about besides kids.

My kids are grown. Can I join?
No. The sole requirement for membership is that one must not have been a parent at any time. This is an organization for those without children.

My spouse is a non-custodial parent and I've never had kids. Can we join?
You can, and your spouse can attend as your guest, but not as a member.

Is this an organization for singles or couples? Can gays join?
All childfree and childless people are welcome. Single, married, divorced, gay, straight, young, old, rich, poor, we don't care. This group has no political, sexual, religious, business, or cultural agenda... we just want to socialize and have fun!

What are your membership dues?
Our chapter does not charge any dues or event fees. Of course, each member who attends an event must pay for their own dinner, entrance fee, ticket, or any other cost of a particular event.

I don't have a computer. Can you mail me information? Can I call someone?
Seriously? How are you reading this? But to answer your question, no. All chapter activities and planning take place through this site.

Do you hate children so much?
Many childfree people love children. They have decided, however, that raising children is not the right decision for their lives. Other childfree people are quite ambivalent about children, while others actively despise them. Simply being childfree does not indicate a person's attitude toward children. It only indicates that they aren't having children themselves. It would probably be more accurate to say that, when it comes to kids, many childfrees are simply disinterested rather than hateful.

What does "childfree" mean? Aren't you "childless?"
"Childless" implies that people are lacking something in their lives by not having children, and as such, is a term normally applied to people who want children but do not have them. Childfree people do not feel their lives are somehow "less" for not having children; the term is normally used to mean people who do not have and do not want to have children. And, admittedly, also is a sly reference to the greater freedom we enjoy!

OK, I guess by your definition, I'm "childless" because I want kids someday. Can I join?
Absolutely. I'll repeat - the only requirement for membership is that you are not a parent. Your future potential parenthood is not relevant. The only caveat I would like to make clear is that most people in the St. Louis group have finalized their decision not to have children. Discussing child-centered topics which may interest you as a potential parent will not interest us. But if you're up for fun get-togethers where child-related topics are not discussed, then join up.

Aren't the childfree selfish?
Are you kidding? Turn the tables around and ask why someone would have children. The answer is often: because I wanted a child; because I wanted a son to carry on the family name; because I wanted someone to take care of me when I got old; because all my friends have kids. How selfish are those reasons? One study that asked parents that question found the most popular reason to "why did you have children?" to be "I don't know!" One way to look at this is to realize that anyone who seriously considers their options and chooses parenthood or non-parenthood based on what's best for them has acted selfishly. But wouldn't you want children to have parents who were selfish - who really wanted them?

But isn't it important to perpetuate our species?
Again... are you kidding? With 6+ billion of us now and three more being added every second, the human race is only in danger of extinction from too much success, not lack thereof. Why add more resource-draining children when we're already choking the one planet we have?

But who will take care of you when you're old?
Some children do take care of their elders by placing them in nice places where they are frequently visited by family and friends, but many others are simply dumped like garbage. Check out any nursing home and ask the staff to point out the residents whose families never visit. So if those people had children for the sole reason of having caretakers in old age, they're certainly not getting any return on their investment. Consider that the estimated $ amount on raising one child from birth to age 18 is around $200,000. One website gives an estimate of $300,000! Think what kind of really nice retirement home one could afford if you invested that in a fund rather than having a child.

I've read that all the people in the world could fit into Texas, so why are you worried about overpopulation?
It's true you could fit 6.3 billion people into Texas. But this is a ridiculous assessment of population. Where are these people going to get their food? Potable water? Sewage treatment, schools, medical care, education, you name it - it all takes up space. Every year, sources of fresh water are lost, arable land blows away or erodes, hundreds of species go extinct, millions of acres of rainforest are destroyed, and previously healthy areas of the ocean become barren and dead. Why? Because there's 6.3 billion of us, and we all want to eat, that's why! The fewer people who have children now, the fewer people there will be in the future to compete with your grandchildren for food - ever think of that?