For all the childless scrappers

Jun '05

Thats just crazy... Like you dont have family events. Gee you are still a child of someone, you have grandparents, and Im sure you still have fun too. Gee what are people thinking.

Jun '05

i HATE that question. hello, i scrap my life. you scrap your kids 'cause they're part of your life, i scrap the things that are part of my life. how exactly is that difficult to understand?

Jun '05

i don't have kids and neither i am married, but i never had a problem with filling the pages...

kind of funny that some people think you can only fill an album with pictures of the kids...

Jun '05

I have an entire album of my european adventures BEFORE I got pregnant with Bailey...
I have started scrapping some pics of her, but I don't want to scrap only he, she is a part of my life, and I love her to death, but I have alot of other things going on, and I don't want to neglect myself

Jun '05

I have to add to this discussion. I have been asked this, I can't even count how many times. Every time I take a class at my LSS, I always get asked if I have kids, when I say no, they ask if I'm married. I say no. Then they ask if I have pets. It always goes in that order. As if those are the only things one can scrap. My mood determines how I respond. One lady really got me, she was sooooo annoying. So I told her that I scrapped the documentation of my alien abduction. Stopped her cold. I loved it.

)

Jun '05

I started scrapping out of the need to do something creative! I love to photograph everything... My favorite thing to photograph though, I will admit is children. I do not have kids, yet... but I found out last week we are expecting our first (after 5 years of trying!) I am thinking, right now... I have so much to scrap, I hope I can get the majority of it done before the baby gets here! What do I scrap? My dogs (hardly) my house, landscaping, house projects, trips, family, friends, even something so simple as the swans I have been watching for the past 2 years! (they had 7 babies this spring!) I mean, I know some of it no one will care about, ever, but that is not what I am scrapping it... I scrapbook for relaxation... this past weekend I needed to get my ind of being pregnant and I got out all of my sbing stuff and strated going! I had so much fun that I can't wait to get started tonight... I don't really care if no one appreciates my pages of my swans or even of my flowers, it is something for me to enjoy and look back at!

thanks for this post... it brought me back to WHY I scrap in the first place...

Jun '05

This is a great thread to remind us all that there are other things to scrapbook then children. I've been scrapbooking since college and I have over 15 scrapbooks. All my scrapbooks have the vacations I've been on and the people and friends I've met on the way. I do scrapbook my cat but I mainly use him as a filler page when I need it. I enjoy scrapbooking my friends kids but it's not something that I focus on or enjoy more then others. I enjoy scrapbooking our lives and what we do. I use scrapbooking as a alternitive to to journals. I figure if someone wanted to learn about my life what better way to do it then by seeing my pictures and where and what we've done. One day I hope we have children but if we don't/can't I will still scrapbook as a form of relaxation and of telling my story.

Jun '05

I agree, as a person who loves kids but unfortunately will never have them, this can be a very annoying question. My stock answer is "I travel a lot." Unfortunately this occasionally gets a response which I also dislike; "I guess you can do that since you don't have kids." Well, there could be some truth to that, but my sister has 2 small children and she travels a lot as well, with them. I do know that since I don't have kids I can afford the time to take several hours each night to work on scrapbooking and still be able to get a decent amount of sleep

. It takes me FOREVER to do this stuff, but I love it. Its how I fill my time. If someone thinks that means I have no life, then fine. I enjoy it and I'm not hurting or neglecting anyone else by doing it so I don't see the problem.

One of the gals I work with at my LSS had the best story to tell yesterday. She used to work at a Memories store before moving here and joining on at our LSS. Anyhow, at her old job a customer asked her if she scrapped. My co-worker said yes she did, and she loved it. The customer noted that she looked fairly young - did she have kids? My co-worker said that no, she didn't as she was just married. The customer then said (and this is the kicker) that if she didn't have children, what could she POSSIBLY have to put in a scrapbook!?

AAAAAAAAARGH! I've been scrapping since I WAS a kid! lol. I just thought this was funny - that someone would think that sbing is only about kids. Bizarre.

I guess my albums full of growing up and college and life moments and traveling aren't "real" scrapbooks...hehehe

That's annoying. I've been asked that question SEVERAL times! Last summer when I was in scrapvivor and did around 100 layouts in a couple months, I was telling someone that and she looked at me funny and said, "what do you scrapbook?" I asked, "because I don't have kids?" and she said yes. I think it was an honest question and she didn't mean anything bad by it, and I know that moms usually scrap mostly their kids, but it still made me think...my life and my family and trips and pets and friends are scrapworthy to me!

WOW! That's an interesting remark! I don't have kids, and I'm not married yet either! But I love scrapbooking, and I have plenty of pictures to use. There is a lot to scrapbook even before that kind of lifestyle. What did your co-worker say in response to the customer asking what she could possibly scrapbook? I hope she put her in her place! :-P Have a great day, thanks for the story.

Think of it this way ladies...what a blessing your albums will be to your children if/when you have them. But I will be honest, I mostly scrap my dd.

I love scrapbooking too, and i have no kids, no problem to fill the pages with other stuff!
but funny story!

Oh my god, when I have kids, I'm gonna have a total scrapbooking overload! I can't even handle what I have now, and I've only been alive about 17 years!

Hi,

One more person to add to the list of "what do you scrap, if you don't have kids??". I must admit I'm not as nice as you all are with my answer being "my interesting, busy life. Doing things you can only dream about as you cant do them any more cause you have kids". Then I walk away!!! Sometimes I say that I feel sad for them that their life only started when their kids were born!!!

I think it's annoying that people say things without thinking... If you are at a crop you ovoiusly scrapping something even if it's your cat. I'll never catch up with my pages without having to do kids.

But next time you get asked tell them that Becky Higgins didn't have kids when she wrote her first book, and Tracy White editor of CK isn't even married... and she doesn't have kids either. I wonder what she is doing editing a Scraping mag??

I haven't been asked that yet, would have never even thought people could ask such a lame question.
Dh and I don't have kids, by choice, and I am overwhelmed with all the pics I have
to scrap, can't imagine how many more I'd have if I had them! LOL

Well, I started scrapping as a child, kept it up all the way through high school, college, marriage, and STOPPED when I had kids. Now that they're gone, I'm working like crrazy to get caught up. So for you without kids, don't let it bother you. Scrapbooking is for memories--for everyone.

That doesn't make any sense. I do yearly scrapbooks so my ablums show everything we did that year. Last years ended up being 6 albums!! I don't have kids yet, even though I can't wait

I have another one...

Have you ever had someone tell you that they are just "too busy" to scrapbook as if you have no life???

Like this girl said to me, "Oh, I would scrapbook but I have kids and just too much to do!"

whatever!

Well ladies, try not to take offense. I have to admit, that thought has crossed my mind before. Just because *so much* of what I scrap is my kids. I'm sure that's because I started after my first son was born. When I sit down to scrap stuff that doesn't involve my kids, I"m like, um what do I do now?

I don't think anyone is trying to say that your life w/o kids is worthless. I think that they probably just can't imagine *what* they would put in their books if it wasn't stuff about their kids. They kind of take over your life LOL.

I personally think it's awesome that you scrap your life, whether you have a spouse, kids, a dog, a house, a great job, three gerbils, or whatever. Every voice deserves to be heard (well, except my mother-in-law's, but that's not for this conversation!).

hugs to all my childless friends!!! May your scrapbooks be full!

I scrapped long before my ds! There was a lot going on in high school and college. I just wished I knew more about journalling. I wish I was as into it now so that I would have thought to take more pictures or certain pics. I am slowly going back and documenting before i forget!

There is defiantley tons to scrap before kids and I have to make myself scrap things other than my ds so my albums are more well rounded!

Wendy

I don't have kids, but I scrap Holidays, vacations, my dog, my boyfriend's Jeeping adventures....there is plenty to do! Luckily, I have never had anyone say such crazy things to me

Jess if the person really wanted to scrapbook they would scrapbook. I am tired of people making excuses because they have children.

That comment was never brought up to me, but I've only been scrapping for a couple months, so I'm sure I'll hear some good ones. One thing that was said to me was an excuse as to why this person DOESN'T scrap. She said she couldn't do that because she is "too creative" a "perfectionist" and that it would take her forever to do a page. Well DUH, a lot of time does go into it! And I think anyone who scraps must have SOME creativity!! She said this while flipping through my pages, of course critiquing as she spoke. So my pages aren't perfect. Someone who doesn't scrap shouldn't search for flaws! Anyway, I have you guys and this website. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. Anyone have similar situations? Happy scrapping, and have a good week!

I had a SB store owner ask me this. She said, 'Do you have kids?' Me: 'not yet.' 'So are you sbing your wedding?' Me: 'No, I'm not brave enough to do that yet.' Her: 'So what do you scrap?' My hubby was with me. I just looked at him. Shrugged my shoulders at her and said I had to get back to work since I was on my lunch break. Then when we got to the car I just went to griping. Oh, well.

wow, i didn't think this would generate such response! lol. but i'm happy to hear that you all feel as strongly as i do about just scrapping WHATEVER you like!

i don't think my co-worker said anything to sassy to the lady, but i know she does scrap her life with her husband and bunnies. heh

jess - i do like you do, chronological albums about life! whatever i do! holidays, celebrations, special events, not-so-special-events that i have photos of, that sort of thing.

is it sad that i'm trying to think of what bag i can put my camera in and still comfortably carry next week at six flags?!? i'm becoming one of "those" scrappers - i take photos of more and more since i've gotten a digital camera. and i love every minute of it!

Quote:

Dudesmum said:
Hi,

One more person to add to the list of "what do you scrap, if you don't have kids??". I must admit I'm not as nice as you all are with my answer being "my interesting, busy life. Doing things you can only dream about as you cant do them any more cause you have kids". Then I walk away!!! Sometimes I say that I feel sad for them that their life only started when their kids were born!!!

I think it's annoying that people say things without thinking... If you are at a crop you ovoiusly scrapping something even if it's your cat. I'll never catch up with my pages without having to do kids.

But next time you get asked tell them that Becky Higgins didn't have kids when she wrote her first book, and Tracy White editor of CK isn't even married... and she doesn't have kids either. I wonder what she is doing editing a Scraping mag??

lol - at the LSS where i work, it's about 50% 40-50-somethings with kids in high school or college and 50% 20-somethings without kids. and we all have lots to scrap. and we all have fun. and that's what matters, yes?

Quote:

Erin_Jo said:
I personally think it's awesome that you scrap your life, whether you have a spouse, kids, a dog, a house, a great job, three gerbils, or whatever. Every voice deserves to be heard (well, except my mother-in-law's, but that's not for this conversation!).

That's hilarious!! The part about MIL...just like mine!!

Quote:

SwirlyGirl said:
One lady really got me, she was sooooo annoying. So I told her that I scrapped the documentation of my alien abduction. Stopped her cold. I loved it. )

That is TOO funny!!!

Seriously though, DH and I have been asked questions about having children too many times to count! In fact, now we are almost past the point of people asking when and just whispering and speculating about what must be wrong since we do not have kids yet!

I guess since we have been married for almost 9 years, people think that we should have a housefull of kids. First of all, we have a great marriage and we are best friends, which we definitely wanted to establish our relationship first, before we had kids. Also, we both have good jobs, own a beautiful home, AND we have taken fabulous vacations, which we might not have been able to do with young children. Society in general seems to have issues and cannot understand how anyone's life can be complete without children. But that is the beauty of this hobby - scrap your marriage or kids, or scrap your sports car or your pets or your vacation or your tattoos, or anything else YOU want to! Scrapbooking...it's not just for kids anymore...