[JoeAltmaier]

Speaking as a kid-raiser (past now; they're 30 and successful) I have this observation: folks who never buckle down to something as demanding as raising kids seem, well, immature to the rest of us. Still kids themselves. Still complaining over their ruined weekend because they had a flat tire on the way to the movie on Friday night. Still upset that a late Amazon package may impact their fishing trip on Saturday. Their responses to life at an entire different setpoint, much lower and amplified.

Its like soldiers - the rest of life isn't as vivid for them, as emotionally gripping as being responsible for a life yada yada. Dis it all you like; the effect is still there.

[fpig]

Complaining about trivial problems is in no way limited to people without children. In fact, in my experience, people with children take this to an entirely new level when those are things that affect their child.

[JoeAltmaier]

Sure, it takes all kinds. But for really caring about something, there's nothing like worrying the spike in white blood cells in your very ill child might be diagnosed as leukemia on Monday. After that, the rest becomes noise.

[mikestew]

But for really caring about something, there's nothing like worrying the spike in white blood cells in your very ill child might be diagnosed as leukemia on Monday.

Some folks are mature enough to develop empathy while completely child-free. Others must have it forced upon them via childbirth. It does, indeed, take all kinds.

[JoeAltmaier]

Maturing is due to experience. The snarky "forced upon" isn't a good description? It has to be learned regardless of the method. Hipster urbanites may have insulated themselves from emotional attachment to the point they're indeed less mature.

[fpig]

Simply not true in my experience. Most people in my country have children yet react strongly to completely irrelevant events like a team they "support" winning or especially losing a football game. That's way worse than complaining about someone ruining your fishing trip as it has nothing to do with them at all.

Pretty much all people care about stupid shit, you just don't empathize with people who care about things you don't personally care about.

[WorldMaker]

Even childless people will experience those sorts of "real cares" in the lives of people they care about (whether it is parents, grandparents, spouses, nieces/nephews, cousins, or even more less strictly well defined relationships). Painting all childless people as free from attachments is its own sort of naïve, even if their current problem of the day seems trivial to you, it certainly doesn't mean that every problem in their world doesn't meet your arbitrary "real" scope requirement to "grow up".

[doodyhead]

What matters more, in this context, is if you let this personal prejudice influence how you treat your co-workers. Do you value their input and opinions less? Do you think you somehow do a better job because of your kid-raising credentials?