La Vie Childfree

There remains the popular stereotype that the childfree must not like kids, and because we choose not to raise children we don’t want them to play a role in our lives.  This is just not true for so many people who don’t have kids by choice. As associate professor and sociology department chair at the University of Maine Amy Blackstone writes in her piece, “Childless & Loving It: Not Being a Parent Has Advantages For Families & Kids” … (more…)

I recently ran across a taping of my appearance on the Ronn Owens talk radio show in 2001. Here we are over a decade later and still talking about the same issues related to having no children by choice. This show had callers with good questions, and Owens clearly “got” the childfree choice. Not so on other talk radio I did back then – I was called a racist, an atheist going to hell…and more!  What has changed is – (more…)

Nadia Taha wrote an excellent essay recently in the “Your Money” section of the The New York Times.  She is in her late 20s, and she and her husband are like many couples – they want to buy a house, have savings, and comfortable retirement years. They’ve decided they don’t want children. Why? They see it as the “single decision” that can best help them… (more…)

First, let me say I am a fan of David Brooks’ political commentary. But I can’t always say this about his thinking on sociological issues. Take his recent op-ed, “The Age of Possibility” in The New York Times.  You’ll see that he needs to expand his thinking about people who don’t have kids …and singles as well. (more…)