by Merle | Oct 8, 2019 | Book Reviews, Childfree Life, Parenting
Introducing The “New and Noteworthy Books” Section… In which I hand-select books that are intriguing and helpful while steering you clear of the fluff-filled and poorly written. Topics include childfree, parenting, zapping stress and finding meaning. Got anxiety? Read...
by Merle | Sep 24, 2019 | Ask Merle Q&A, Childfree Life, Parenting, Relationships
. Q: “How Do We Tell Our Parents We’re Not Having Kids?” … Twelve Tips for the Big Conversation: … Do your parents’ dreams of rocking a grandchild in their arms completely ignore your personality and desires? It won’t be easy to dash those dreams, but you...
by Merle | May 6, 2019 | Adoption, Childfree Life, Counseling, Deciding, Parenting, Timing
By Caitlin Gibson | Read original story at the Washington Post. They arrive anxious for an answer. Or maybe, finally, a sense of peace. They arrive because they haven’t been able to resolve the biggest question of their lives: Do I want to be a parent? And so they...
by Merle | Apr 27, 2019 | Merle in the Media, Parenting
On Wisconsin Public Radio, Merle talked to host Rob Ferret and New York Times reporter Hannah Seligson about how ignorance about childfree people prevents people from considering this choice. A privacy-craving father called in to warn introverts considering parenting...
by Merle | Jun 10, 2017 | Childfree Life, Communication, Counseling, Parenting
Kayla Sheets, genetic counselor and hostess of Vibrant Gene, brings intelligence and playfulness to our discussion about finding the wisdom and courage to make either decision. I demonstrate my “Chair Dialogue” technique for cutting through ambivalence to reveal a...
by Merle | Jun 9, 2017 | Communication, Counseling, Fertility, Parenting
After the interview described above, Kayla facilitates a lively panel: a childfree man in his 60s, a midlife working mother of two, and the show’s own 25-year-old producer who was shocked, when she did my “Chair Dialogue” exercise, to discover a reversal...
