To be or not to be a parent
July 3, 2026
1,494
44
13
3.82%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
NPR Podcasts Episodes Around July 3, 2026
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
29:32Now PlayingTo be or not to be a parent
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelCould you see your life just as easily with children as without?
What if you're not cut out for parenthood? What if you grow lonely in your old age? Or what if you have a loving partner, but you disagree on this choice? Deciding between parenthood and a child-free life requires clarity about your fears and deepest desires — no easy task. This episode, psychotherapist and author of the book, The Baby Decision, Merle Bombardieri, helps us get clear. She discusses minimizing regret, normalizing feeling 'stuck' and why waiting to have a baby at 38 may be best.
Want more about the decision to have kids?
Many women don't want kids. And for good reason. ()
Why are people freaking out about the birth rate? ()
Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. ()
Follow Brittany on Instagram@bmluse ()
For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub () .
See pcm.adswizz.com () for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy ()
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.









