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Two Is Enough: A Couple's Guide to Living Childless by Choice
by
Laura S. Scott (Goodreads Author)
Fall in love. Get married. Have children. For most couples, marriage and children go hand in hand. And yet, the number of people choosing childlessness is on the rise. These are the childless by choice—people who have actively decided not to have children—rather than the childless by circumstance. In Two Is Enough, Laura S. Scott explores the assumptions surrounding childr
...morePaperback, 264 pages
Published
September 22nd 2009
by Seal Press
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My husband and I are not planning on having children for a variety of reasons. I put this book on my reading list a long time ago, well before I ever knew that there were such things out there as childfree social groups (one of which we now belong to). I recently saw this book on the list and decided to go ahead and read it anyway, because it still sounded interesting to me.
I think that calling this book a "guide" is a misnomer. It certainly doesn't have any advice about how ...more
I think that calling this book a "guide" is a misnomer. It certainly doesn't have any advice about how ...more
The word "guide" in the secondary title to this book is an unfortunate choice, as there is really very little in the way of advice or ideas for how to live a rich and fulfilling childfree life. My wife and I have plenty of ideas for this already, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't have been interested in reading suggestions from older couples with more experience.
I thought the first half of the book was quite interesting, as it delved into the various reasons people have for...more
I thought the first half of the book was quite interesting, as it delved into the various reasons people have for...more
As someone who is contemplating the possibility of not having children, I was curious to read this book. I was pleased to find this book to be very fair, and a very well thought-out exploration of the reasons couples decide to remain childless. They did not bash on parenting, but rather took an honest look at the decision process. It was well-written and did an excellent job of incorporating data from previous studies as well as examining the author's own survey project. I think I would have app...more
This is a wonderful book that explores choosing to be childfree. The author decided to write this book when a friend asked her why she got married if she didn't want kids - as if that's the only reason to be married or in a relationship. Laura Scott surveyed and/or interviewed 171 people to find out 1) their reasons for choosing a childfree life and 2) to explore that decision-making process. What she found was a wide range of reasons people choose to remain childfree and that almost all of t...more
Title: Two is Enough (A Couple's Guide to Living Childless by Choice)
Author: Laura S. Scot
Publisher: Seal Press
Published: 2009
Pages: 254
ISBN# 978-1-58005-263-4
Ratting: 3 out of 5
I don't really know what I thought when it came to ordering the book, the only thing I did know is that since hearing about the book online that I did wish to read it but at the price being asked for it from the book shop it wasn't going to happen any time in the near future. So t...more
Author: Laura S. Scot
Publisher: Seal Press
Published: 2009
Pages: 254
ISBN# 978-1-58005-263-4
Ratting: 3 out of 5
I don't really know what I thought when it came to ordering the book, the only thing I did know is that since hearing about the book online that I did wish to read it but at the price being asked for it from the book shop it wasn't going to happen any time in the near future. So t...more
Two is Enough offers a basic look at why couples may choose to remain childfree, while also discussing some of the difficulties these couples face living in a “pronatalist” society. Based on survey responses and interviews with about 120 couples, Laura Scott spends much of the book discussing 18 major factors (based on her surveying) that motivate people to choose a childfree life. Scott has some interesting points, but like most books on this subject, never goes beyond stating the obvious. ...more
While the paparazzi obsessed masses fixate on the latest celebrity “bump-watch,” there is a small but growing trend of American couples who are forgoing parenting, so much so that their numbers are estimated to increase by 50% to a total of 31 million by 2050 (American Demographics Magazine). In the past months, I’ve read more articles and op-ed pieces about this topic in the mainstream press, but this phenomenon and its members are largely ignored and in some ways feared. This book provides va...more
I was a little disappointed in this book. First of all, I got a little tired of hearing about the negatives of being a parent. Secondly, this book didn't really answer any of my questions, like where to find friends with similar goals, or how to handle forced social situations where you don't like your friend's kids. Third, the statistics were a little flimsy for me. Most of the book was anecdotal -- a lot of the time the author would mention things based on her experience. I don't really f...more
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A good friend explaining why she plans to not have kids led me to this book. For someone who has been having many discussions with their partners about the possibility of having children, this book was really helpful. I think that the best advice given was to ask yourself around 20 times, "how would this look with kids?". I wish that they discussed same-sex couples more. I also wonder what the lessons would be if a parent had written this book. An interesting read based on research tha...more
Parts of this are a bit repetitive and it's less of a 'guide' than an exploration of the motives people assign to the childless by choice and the reasons people choose to be childless.
Interesting read though. If you're on the fence, you'll probably be stay there. If you've chosen to be childless, this will likely affirm your decisions. If you have children, this may give you a perspective of the other side.
As an evaluator, some of the methodological choices & descrip...more
Interesting read though. If you're on the fence, you'll probably be stay there. If you've chosen to be childless, this will likely affirm your decisions. If you have children, this may give you a perspective of the other side.
As an evaluator, some of the methodological choices & descrip...more
I really liked this book. Society paints a picture of us couples that choose not to have children as selfish, children haters, loveless, and just plain not "normal". Its nice to read this and see that there are many couples out there that like children and are grounded and not self centered that choose not to have children. I read this book, continuously thinking - oh thats me! Reading people saying what me and my husband say all the time. Its just nice to know we are not alone in not ...more
I really did enjoy the premise of this book, as my husband and I are childfree by choice. It was nice to see myself in some of the couples and to feel less alone, I suppose. What I didn't care for was how repetitive the book seemed; the author seemed to be saying the same things over and over again. She probably could have made the book about a hundred pages shorter and still gotten her point across. But I'm glad I read it, and I would probably recommend it to a childfree-by-choice friend (i...more
I like kids, that's pretty obvious based on my line of work, but it does get tiring when people think something's wrong with you for not wanting kids of your own. This book makes a great case for why people choose not to have children, and explains the thought that goes into that decision. You would hope people would respect your decision, whether it was to parent or not to parent, and hopefully this book will help people open their minds a bit.
This is not the best book for someone in the process of deciding whether to have children or not (I would recommend Leslie Lafayette's Why Don't You Have Kids? instead), but it does a good job of articulating the different stripes of the childless by choice and the motivations behind the decision not to procreate. While childfree readers will likely identify with much that is stated in the book, it unfortunately is not as "guide" so much as a collection of anecdotes from interviewees.
A good book on some of the current issues and reasons on why people choose not to have kids. While there is some statistical / scientific research and surveys, they don't have enough data to provide some hard causation. However, the correlations and statistics themselves, coupled with the qualitative data, is interesting. This is a good read for people who aren't sure they want kids, but also for people who do because one of the most important things the author brings up is how often couples don...more
I finally just gave up on this one. I had higher hopes, but eventually, it felt like I was just reading the same thing over and over again, just put into different words. It's more or less, "Sometimes people don't have kids. And that's okay. Sometimes they never wanted them. And that's okay. Sometimes they put off having them, then decided they didn't want them or discovered they couldn't. And that's okay. Sometimes people just can't seem to have them. And that's okay." Over ...more
I really wanted to enjoy this book more; after all, I am childless by choice. One of my biggest problems with this book, however, is the author's own childess-by-choice status. For whatever reason, she offers back-handed insults to the people who choose to have children. I hate when people question my decisions regarding children, and I got equally peeved when the author questioned the decisions of others.
Other reasons it got two stars: The author also repeats herself -- repeatedly. ...more
Other reasons it got two stars: The author also repeats herself -- repeatedly. ...more
Was disappointed with this book. The author tells you the top 18 reasons people choose to remain childfree. Then she tells you about the most common assumptions others make about the childfree. I was hoping for more anecdotes from the couples she interviewed...more of their decision-making processes.
This book didn't contain anything earth shattering but it was interesting to read other couples' stories about the reasons why they remain child-free. I do wish it addressed those women whose biological clock is ticking (mine) but the rest of them does not necessarily have the desire for children.
It was a very good description type of book and them going into great detail about things like why one would chose to be child free. Towards the end they do talk a lot about the same issues over and over but it was nice to read a book about people making the right decision instead of just doing whatever everyone is doing without thinking.
I enjoyed reading the reasons people choose to remain childfree, the challenges they face, and anecdotal stories. It's not really a guide, but I found it informative nonetheless.
so far i really like this book. it's been really interesting reading about the author's study.i actually find myself in some of the comments and findings made by the author.
Turns out I am meant to be childfree... some interesting stuff in here, particularly on the personality similarities of childfree people, which basically describes me.
Great book, insightful and thoughtful, based on actual research. If you are on the fence about whether or not to have children this is a must read book for you.
I chose to read this book because I am pondering whether or not I want to be a parent. The book had many useful pieces of information about why people choose to remain childless/childfree, the advantages and disadvantages, and dealing with the pronatalist society's belief and expectation that every couple should have children once they are married.
The title of the book is indeed, as others have pointed out, a bit of a misnomer: it's more like a guide to deciding whether to be childfree and how to defend a childfree lifestyle to those who would pressure you to reproduce. Not much in the way of specific lifestyle advice (hobbies, activities, end-of-life planning, etc.)
I appreciated her research and interviews, as any person pondering a childfree lifestyle will probably identify with at least one of the interviewees in her stud...more
I appreciated her research and interviews, as any person pondering a childfree lifestyle will probably identify with at least one of the interviewees in her stud...more
Whitney
marked it as to-read
Not so much a "guide" as a qualitative study. I wouldn't read it if it was all about self-help advice. I just think it's nice to know that other people(females) encounter the same annoying comments I do: "you'll change your mind someday," "it's different with your own children," "you'll regret not having kids" etc. etc. But, I'm halfway through this book and it's starting to get repetitive. I probably won't finish it.
I had heard about this growing trend of couples choosing not to have children, and this book was cited. It's not really a "guide" but a reflection on the topic and a study the author did. It got a bit repetitive, so I skipped over some parts. I thought it was interesting how people respond to other people saying their childless by choice. Kind of funny. Like "you're not having kids? Then why are you even married?"
A must-read for any childfree/childless-by-choice individual. The author captures all sides of this taboo topic.
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Laura S. Scott enjoyed a career in fashion, publishing, and consulting prior to embarking on the Childless by Choice Project. The research and interviews from this project became the raw material for her book Two Is Enough: A Couple’s Guide to Living Childless by Choice published by Seal Press in September of 2009.
In between projects, she writes screenplays, essays, travel pieces, and ...more
More about Laura S. Scott...
In between projects, she writes screenplays, essays, travel pieces, and ...more
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