MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: How do I stop being treated like shit because I don't have kids?

How to not spend every family holiday on a deflating air mattress

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Ugh, Bel. Help. I’m the only single, childless adult in my family but am ALWAYS treated as ‘less than’. Whenever we go on vacation, I’m the only adult who’s never given a room. It’s expected that I either a) sleep in the kids’ room (!) or b) sleep on an air mattress on the floor.

I’ve asked - no - pleaded to be treated with the same respect as all other adults in the family, only to be constantly IGNORED. How do I get people to see I deserve the same treatment and respect as all the other adults in this family, regardless of marital or childbearing status?

Dear deflated,

I’m so sorry to hear this. No, seriously. It makes me want to throw a Lynx can on a bonfire out of sheer rage because we’re all just specs of dust on this earth entitled to make our own decisions about what we do with our lives.

I’m also in that age bracket where, if you’re opting out of children (or you can’t have them), it’s treated as an alien decision. You are not alien. This is your decision or reality. It’s sad your family can’t see it that way and are missing out on your gorgeous company because of it but it simply shant rob your life of joy. Especially your annual leave. Fuck that.

But, surprisingly, I think the answer to this is simple. You have to love yourself more than you love them. And this starts by taking a proper fucking holiday.