I've been meaning to pick this up for years and I'm glad I finally did. Curiously, it doesn't answer its titular question. I was expecting to be convinced that having kids is an important and meaningful undertaking. Instead, Valenti brings to light all the parenting discussions we should be having but aren't. If we could have these conversations, about the division of labor, the myths of parenting, and the ways in which we've made childrearing a thankless and endless job, then the importance and meaningfulness would rise to the top. 

Conscious Parenting Course by Nataša Pantović Nuit

Recommended for anyone even remotely interested in parenting.

The title of this book is misleading. I thought it would be mostly about having children vs childfree. The book is actually about issues that parents face and how American society tends to avoid examining the structural causes of these issues, instead putting the burden of responsibility completely on parents. As a result of such pressures, parents are more neurotic and less happy, which in turn negatively effects the welfare of children. Valenti quotes a lot of studies and covers a lot of ground. This book is meant to be more of a broad overview rather than a deep area study. While I personally might have liked her to go deeper on a few pet subjects (childfree, for example), I didn't mind the generality of the text. Even though I do not plan to have children, I know (and love) a lot of people who have kids and I am concerned about these issues too. This book really made me think and made me want to look into some of the topics more on my own. At the end of the day, I think that's the point of Why Have Kids?. It's a jumping off point for discussion instead of the last word.Audiobook Notes: The narrator did a good job. She was easy to understand, which is critical for a non-fiction book. Some spots, where she said names and article titles, came off a little stilted but I think she was talking slowly and enunciating more in case the listener wanted to write the details down. I'll deal with stilted if it's for a good cause.

The beginning of this book really made me angry, but I'm glad I kept going. The first two chapters are unreasonably harsh on mothers, by saying that taking care of our bodies during pregnancy and birth, and fighting to provide breastmilk for our babies is part of "the man" beating us down. Maybe it's because we just really love our kids and want to do what's best for them? But as it went on I agreed more and was less angry. Yes, moms shouldn't be the default caregiver, dads should be expected to play a role, working moms don't hate their children. I really agreed with the chapter on the over-medicalization of birth. But! The ire towards AP and natural parenting seems misplaced. If it didn't work for the author, that's fine, but it works great for a lot of families, and it doesn't feel like misogynistic patriarchy to those families.