Ellen Metter Debunks Stereotypes Surrounding Childless-by-Choice Couples -- with Humor!

Those who hesitate to procreate should relax and feel fine about their decision. Ditto for friends and relatives of the voluntarily childless!

DENVER, CO - Serious books on the "childfree movement" have been slowly emerging from publishing houses, discussing a choice that's not yet mainstream -- but perhaps getting there. Cheerfully Childless is the first humor book for those who feel it's not their fate to procreate.

Emotions run high on this topic, and that's precisely the sort of issue where humor thrives. Erma Bombeck looked at family life, Scott Adams delves into work life, and Ellen Metter and Loretta Gomez tackle the question with a life-altering answer: Is parenting really for me?

"There are some thoughtful, scholarly books out on the subject of choosing to be childless," says Metter, "but nothing light-hearted. We're living in a society that actively promotes what I call the 4 R's: Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic, and Reproduction! Those who are pretty sure that talking to sock puppets isn't in their future will definitely identify with Cheerfully Childless."

Cheerfully Childless was written to "bring cheer" to those who are leaning against parenthood but don't get much support from a society that asks "Don't you want to have just one?" And they're not talking potato chips. "Surprisingly enough," says Metter, "I've also gotten amazing responses from readers who are parents. And no, I don't mean they wanted to punch me in the nose. They told me they could identify with many of the situations described in Cheerfully Childless -- and found them funny!"

The New York Times Magazine reports that 13 million baby boomers are childless. The time is ripe for looking at the topic of being childless-by-choice -- with a giggle.

More information: http://www.cheerfullychildless.com

Media:
info@cheerfullychildless.com

ISBN: 0-9711627-0-0, Pages: 76, Illustrations: 33, Pub. Date: 01/02, Price: $10.99, Format: Trade paper, Category: Humor/Satire, Web: http://CheerfullyChildless.com    ;

Ellen Metter lives in Denver, Colorado.
Loretta Gomez lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Facts of Note Related to Choosing to be Childless

Several organizations now exist for the the 'childfree' (the favored term by those who
have chosen to be childless.) The group 'No Kidding,' an international social
organization for those who are childless by choice, has 61 chapters in the U.S. and 10 in Canada!

The National Center Health Statistics writes, in it's June 2001 report titled Trends In Pregnancy Rates for the United States, 1976-97: An Update, that "the estimated pregnancy rate for U.S. women fell in 1997 to 103.7 pregnancies per 1,000 woman aged 15-44, the lowest level in more than 20 years." Though there are certainly many women who wish to have children who cannot, the study also attributes the decline to "changing attitudes, better contraception, and economic    
opportunity." [From the "National Vital Statistics Report, " Vol. 49, No. 4, June 6,
2001, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm].

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy asks "Did you know that babies are nauseated by the smell of a clean shirt? "

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