Book Review: Maybe Baby

Maybe Baby, edited by Lori Leibovich, is a collection of essays from those who have chosen not to have children, those trying to decide, and those who have kids. The essays take us on the various journeys that the writers have taken. This book was not really what I expected it to be. It seemed to have more weight towards having kids as there were quite a few more essays on that than the decision not to have children. I would recommend this book for those who are trying to make a decision or who are still unsure about whether or not to have kids. For those who are already childfree and firm in their decision, this would not be a book I'd recommend.

"The fact that she was painstakingly examining her decision to have children...made her far more responsible than those who have kids simply because they feel they should."

"Why have children, anyway? And should you have them if you don't feel a biological or emotional urge? If you don't, will you feel those urges later, and regret it? Does choosing not to have children mean you're selfish? Or are those people who choose to have children to fulfill themselves, or to ease loneliness, or to take care of them in old age, the really selfish ones?"

"...why do so many parents preach the procreation gospel to their non-parent friends?"

"...not one part of me thinks you need to have children in order to be whole, or that there are parts of yourself that cannot be revealed any other way." -Anne Lamott

"The notion that different people have different desires shouldn't be a difficult one, but when it comes to motherhood, many people can't get their hands around it." - Michelle Goldberg

"Yet the assumption that women are biologically programmed to conceive refused to crumble. The right to choose seems to have bypassed the childless." - Elinor Burkett

"You're not being selfish. Your life won't be empty. And you're certainly not destined for a sad, lonely end. People can find meaning in their lives in ways that don't include progeny.
"So, the next time some well-intentioned parent harasses you about your decision not to have kids - or at least not to have them yet - just let yourself off society's hook, go out, and live the life you've chosen with no regrets. Find fulfillment by climbing a mountain, jumping out of an airplane, taking a job in Asia or, hell, reading the Sunday paper without interruption. Then tell us breeders about it.
"And feel free to gloat." - Amy Reiter

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