What is Two Of Us?
…truthful, funny, honest writing about child-free living…
I’m Stacey Linnartz. I am a New Yorker. I have considered (with input from my husband, of course) about leaving the city (we live in Brooklyn) but I can’t seem to leave. We tried for six years to have a child. It was horrible. And also, totally ok. And gross and painful and exciting and terrifying and shame-inducing. And now we have decided to be happy as a nuclear family of two humans (after I Googled ‘is it possible to be a family of two?’)...
The meager search results affirmed that Jeremy and I could indeed ‘be a family’ without kids. But there is so little on the interweb about the culture of child-free living. I was kind of shocked. And kind of sad. There is so much about EVERYTHING online, but so little of this content.
I pretty much am never, ever on social media - too many babies and humble brags, so you won’t be finding much content of mine there. But I love the idea of sharing journal-like entries, interviews with intriguing people, recommends and commentary on culture and society through the lens of child-free life. How cool would it be for my newsletter to pop up when someone searches like I did, to help them avoid the shock and sadness I felt when looking for ideas and community, and instead give them an honest, joyous place to hang.
Occasionally my husband, Jeremy Rishe shall be chiming in.
Community
Ever since I was a kid myself I loved bringing people together under a common purpose - it’s probably one of the reasons I dig the theatre. There are loads of us women who have suffered through fertility treatments unsuccessfully - our stories are rarely shared. And, we live in a world that is very child-centric. Now, I love my friends’ kids, I teach kids, and pretty much always thought I would ‘have’ one. But the more I live child-free, the more I realize that I am content exactly the way things are. If you are curious about child-free living and the contours of it - from grief to freedom, subscribe and be in touch.
I hope this newsletter resonates with all sorts of people and not just those who are living child-free. For all of us who had to pivot and search for a way to thrive after failure, disappointment, a broken heart, this space is for you.
Thanks for being here,
Stacey
