According to American Demographics magazine, by the year 2010 the number of married couples without children is expected to increase by nearly 50%, to nearly 31 million. The non-profit organization, Childless By Choice, reports that one in seven married couples in the United States is consciously deciding not to have children. For more married couples than ever before, their life plan together does not include raising a family. Yet, as these numbers grow, in many ways society continues to frown on the choice not to have children. Although more couples are making this decision, they often feel misunderstood, and face societal misperceptions about themselves, their marriage, and their choice not to have children. Through candid interviews and photographs, Families of Two: Interviews with Happily Married Couples Without Children by Choice takes us into the lives of happily married couples without children by choice. It dispels the myths often associated with this choice, helps couples who are deciding whether to have children, and offers insight to friends and family of couples who have chosen or may choose not to have children. Families of Two expands our ways of understanding marriage in today’s society, and gives examples of roadmaps for marriage without children. Families of Two celebrates the many people who are living lives that do not include parenthood, and the many ways to live happily ever after.

Winner of a Parent's Guide Children's Media Award No two families are the same, but every family is special. When Mrs. Mack says she will soon be a grandmother, her students realize that teachers have families just like they do! Suddenly everyone in the class wants to share information about his or her own unique family. Sarah tells of flying to China with her parents where they adopted her sister, Rachel. Christopher tells about his parents' divorce. They are still a family, but now he and his brother spend a few days every week at their dad's apartment. Nick lives with his parents, five siblings, and his grandparents―they need to order three large pizzas for dinner! And Hannah tells how she loves to garden with her two mommies.

Represents a variety of families, some big and some small, some with only one parent and some with two moms or dads, some quiet and some noisy, but all alike in some ways and special no matter what.

No matter your size, shape, or pedigree--if you love each other, you are a family! Moms, dads, sisters, brothers — and even Great Aunt Sue — appear in dozens of combinations, demonstrating all kinds of nontraditional families! Silly animals are cleverly depicted in framed portraits, and offer a warm celebration of family love. From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 1—Imagine a house with many rooms, whose walls each have a different color or wallpaper, accenting a family portrait hanging there. On a rustic wooden wall hangs the first portrait—a large family of ducks posing beside a still pond. The next spread shows three pandas in pink vests, much like the pink oriental wallpaper behind them. Each portrait features a gently rhyming line: "Some children live with their grandparents…/and some live with an aunt./Some children have many pets…/and some just have a plant." All of these appealing images demonstrate different ways of being a family. "Some children live with their father./ Some children have two mothers./Some children are adopted./Some have stepsisters and—brothers." The cartoon-style critters contrast pleasantly with more realistic elements—a bamboo plant, a slender ceramic dog, a fat ceramic cat. Families of hippos, tigers, lions, ostriches, and whales join the other family groups in the final spread. The loud-and-clear message is that "if you love each other, then you are a family." And imagine the many children who will be reassured because they have found a portrait of a family they will recognize as their own. A solid choice for most libraries.—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

Describes different kinds of families.

"The bestselling author of Bowling Alone offers [an] ... examination of the American Dream in crisis--how and why opportunities for upward mobility are diminishing, jeopardizing the prospects of an ever larger segment of Americans"--

There are all sorts of families in the world. Some have a mom and a dad. Others have two dads or have two moms. This guidebook explores the joy of family in its varied forms, focusing on family life in homes with two moms. It examines key concepts such as teamwork, discussing feelings, family structure, and the many benefits of living with two moms under one roof.