what do childfree/childless people get instead of "parental leave?"

[hfojvt]

395. have you actually SEEN my bachelor pad?

Clearly I need at least two weeks of EXTRA paid vacation every year to clean this place up.

My married siblings shudder with horror at my house.

I have to point out that as a single guy I do everything - I do all of the shopping, all of the cooking, all of the dish washing, all of the home repairs, all of the grass cutting, all of the snow shoveling, all of the dog walking (and feeding and bathing and trips to the vet) and so on and so on. Oddly enough, it takes about the same amount of time to shop for one as it does for two or three or four.

I seem to remember my parents, who had five kids, tended to put us to work. We cleaned the basement every Saturday. As the oldest son I did a whole bunch of snow shoveling and grass cutting. All of us kids took turns loading the dishwasher and setting the table. My sisters did some of the vacuuming and laundry.

Not only that, but I have to pay MORE for basic services. Here's my water bill. I used 748 gallons last month - I paid for 1,500. Trash bill - $15.40 a month. Hey, if I had a family of four in my house I would probably produce 3 times as much trash. How much would I pay? - $15.40 a month. So two single people would be paying $30.80 a month, but if they move in together, they can cut their bill in half. Same with utilities. The gas company basically charges me about $15 per month - for nothing. Same with the electric company. It is pretty clear to me that a billing system like that is a better deal for larger users (like say a family of four or five) than it is for smaller users (like say a single, childless person).

But it's cool. I have no kids so I am expected to subsidize everybody who does - for the good of society, of course.