Look how much money you're saving

I just got home from my trip to eastern Oregon, so I'm going to cheat a little and let other people entertain you today.

First, I received an email telling me about this graphic full of statistics about having children and how much it costs. You may read it and decide you don't care about any of that, you just want to have a baby. But maybe you'll decide to take all that money you've saved and do something special with it. (There's a great house for sale down the street from me, if you need a suggestion. Two blocks from the beach) You can see the graphic at http://www.earlychildhoodeducation.com/cost-of-a-child.

An article in the Bangor Daily News called "Childless and loving it: Not being a parent has advantages for families and kids" talks about how many adults without children are forming meaningful connections with young people. The author, Amy Blackstone, maintains that in this busy world, we need folks who are free to interact with other people's kids.

Finally, my dear friend Andi Cumbo, whom I never thought of as being childless, has written a great blog post about her own childless journey and how frustrated she gets when her church seems to consider motherhood the only path for women. You can read it at http://www.andilit.com/2012/07/14/childless-does-not-mean-incomplete.

Enjoy. See you Thursday.

P.S. I should have copies of my new book to mail next week. Wahoo!