Monday 17 September 2007

Book ~ "Nobody's Mother: Life Without Kids" - Lynne Van Luven (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Statistics say that one in 10 women has no intention of taking the plunge into motherhood. Nobody’s Mother is a collection of stories by women who have already made this choice.

From introspective to humorous to rabble-rousing, these are personal stories that are well and honestly told. The writers range in age from early 30s to mid-70s and come from diverse backgrounds. All have thought long and hard about the role of motherhood, their own destinies, what mothering means in our society and what their choice means to them as individuals and as members of their ethnic communities or social groups.

I've always known that I didn't want kids. So this was an interesting book to come across ~ essays by woman who never had kids, either by choice or circumstance.

Coincidentally there was an article in last week's Toronto Star called Childless families on the rise:
  • For the first time, there are more families in Canada without children (42.7%) than couples with children (41.4%). Twenty years ago, 52% of Canadian couples had children, defined as offspring younger than 25.
  • Our neighbourhood has one of Toronto's highest rates of childless couples, at about 80%.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool book, I'm definitely picking that one up (since I'm one of them). Love your new blog look!

Unknown said...

Interesting-- it's definitely a personal choice.

LEA said...

There was a time when I was a young adult, that I didn't see children in my future and I wasn't interested in the little cottage and white picket fence, sort of life. At that time, my mother really enforced her wishes for me to change, and to "be a lady", that my thinking was not acceptable. That was the times back then ~ to be an individual was taboo.

But what I like is that in today's time, books like this can be written and that it truly IS a woman's choice. We have the right to choose what we want for our lives and society has evolved somewhat around us, to where it is looked at as a personal choice now, not taboo anymore.

Today, I am a mother ~ and a single parent. It has become the right choice for me, as my children mean everything to me. They enhance who I am, and make me want to be a better, and stronger person.

But, I am glad that women are now looked at as individuals, and that the choice is theirs to make. Free will is alive and well in the female race! Yea!

Sorry, Im' rambling ~ too much coffee, I guess. LOL