Childless couples in Missouri profiled

In her article "Childless by choice," journalist Tresa McBee profiles happy unparents like Kelly and Scott Thomas who have four canine child substitutes but have no desire for kids.

She writes:
The Thomases--she's 42, he's 41--represent a sliver of society who are childless by choice, many of whom encounter puzzled, even hostile, responses from friends, families and strangers.

"I think we can call it a small trend," said Kristin Park, associate professor of sociology at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., who has studied the subject.

Interview with BNOB author Jennifer L. Shawne

Bella Online's Married No Kids editor Kim Kenney has posted a wonderful review of "Baby Not on Board" as well as an interview with yours truly about the book. I'm honored to be included in this excellent online forum for the childfree perspective.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Describe your experiences as a member of the child free community and how they influenced your book. When did you decide that parenting was NOT for you?

It's been very comforting to know there's a huge community of childfree people out there providing support, humor, and ways of staying strong in a society that puts so much pressure on people to have children. Childfree Web sites and books were a tremendous resource as I wrote this book. I'm also incredibly lucky to live in San Francisco, which has fewer kids than any other U.S. city, so in a way I'm living right in the middle of the biggest childfree community in the country.

As for my own decision, there was never a single epiphany. I decide not to have kids every day. I wake up at 8 AM and think, if I had kids I'd have to get up at 6 and that would just rot. I just got back from a four-day yoga retreat and thought, if I had kids I never would have enjoyed that incredibly relaxing, healthy weekend. I walk around my vibrant San Francisco neighborhood and think, if I had kids I couldn't afford to live here and would have to move to the suburbs, which don't suit me at all.

BNOB in the Washington Post

Another great review of Baby Not on Board, this time by the Washington Post's Nicole Miller. Hooray!

BNOB in the Chicago Sun Times

Maureen Jenkins has written a very generous review of "Baby Not on Board" in the Chicago Sun Times. It's called "Baby Space."

She writes:
Those of us without kids are never on the receiving end of baby gift registries, so Shawne proffers tips on throwing oneself an "unbaby shower," complete with grown-up food (think caviar and carpaccio) and cocktails in baby bottles. She helps unparents figure out which camp they fall into, whether a "Political Abstainer" who's child-free for environmental and resource reasons, a "Peter Pan" who's stuck inside his or her own childhood, or a "Sprog Snob" who can't imagine dealing with a human who doesn't yet appreciate opera or fine wine.

Read the rest here.

New childfree dating site

One thing I hear from readers over and over again is how difficult it is to find a special someone who also feels that three's a crowd. Now I can point people to Dinklink.com, a dating service launched in August for childfree singles. Kim Kenney of the excellent Married No Kids Web site has written a nice article about Dinklink here.