Families of Two: the childfree a decade later

Did you see the article that appeared recently on marieclaire.com by Abigail Pesta - “To Breed or Not to Breed”? In the article she discusses myths about parenthood.  They include:

• All women have a maternal instinct.
• Parenting makes you a better person.
• Parenting is, by definition, rewarding.
• It’s different when they’re yours.
• Parenting is the path to maturity.
• A baby will strengthen the marriage.
• You’ll regret not having kids.
• Kids offer security when you’re old.

Susan Jeffers, author of I’m OK You’re a Brat , debunks a good deal of other parenthood myths with her 10 Mad, Mad Myths: (more…)

If you could be a fly on the wall at a lunch with a group of 30-something women, I bet one of the hottest topics of discussion you would hear them talk about is whether they are going to have children. More women than not do some serious laboring over this decision. For many women it’s not an easy choice if they don’t feel a strong, unquestionable urge to become a mother.

Here are just some of the questions men and women may ask themselves:

How will introducing a child into my life affect my career?

How will a child affect my relationship?

If I’m not in a relationship, what is the age to “fish or but bait” and decide not to have kids?

If I am not in a relationship, do I want a child enough to become a single mom?

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Greetings!

My book, Families of Two: Interviews with Happily Married Couples Without Children By Choice, came out around the time of the last census. It’s about ten years later and time to look at what is happening now. This blog will delve into aspects of the choice not to have children then, now, and beyond. I invite you to join the conversation!

I decided to write Families of Two (Fo2) because at the time, I went looking for a book like it, didn’t find one, so with a background in psychology and one book already under my belt, decided to research the topic myself. I interviewed over 100 couples across the United States, conducted in depth interviews with 40, and 15 were chosen for the book as the best representation of responses from all the couples.

Did I learn a lot and was the public ever interested. I have been on The Early Show, Good Morning America, have done lots of syndicated talk radio in the States and in Canada, and have been interviewed for many articles published nationally and internationally. (more…)