by Merle | Apr 2, 2026 | Ask Merle Q&A, Childfree Life, Communication, Counseling, Deciding, Relationships
If you’ve made your childfree choice after much careful thought and guidance from The Baby Decision, then is it normal to sometimes feel sad about not getting to be a parent, or should you not trust your choice? As part of my popular “Ask...
by Merle | Mar 3, 2026 | Ask Merle Q&A, Communication, Counseling, Deciding, Fertility, Relationships
If you’ve responsibly done your research and all of the exploration exercises in The Baby Decision, then is it still cheating to just let nature decide for you by “not trying, not preventing” (NTNP)? As part of my popular “Ask...
by Merle | Jan 13, 2026 | Ask Merle Q&A, Communication, Counseling, Deciding, Parenting, Relationships
If you or your partner are introverts and value lots of “me” time over social time, then can you even enjoy or tolerate being a parent — let alone good parents? What if you have some social anxiety, as well? As part of my popular “Ask...
by Merle | May 24, 2025 | Ask Merle Q&A, Childfree Life, Deciding, Merle in the Media, Parenting
When deciding between having a child or being childfree, the most important question is: which decision will you regret least—in order to support your other life goals, values, and happiness? Here, Merle Bombardieri shares her own story and wisdom for you, as...
by Merle | Feb 8, 2025 | Ask Merle Q&A, Deciding, Fertility, Merle in the Media, Parenting
If you have one or more older children and are now wishing you could relive the baby stage, how do you decide if having another child is a good or bad idea? As part of my popular “Ask Merle” series, I offer advice on this, with four things to...
by Merle | Jul 5, 2024 | Ask Merle Q&A, Deciding, Parenting, Videos & Podcasts
Should I have a second or third child, and what are the pros and cons of such an important decision? I talked about how to make sense of these second child pros and cons in my short talk for the Museum of Motherhood annual conference earlier this year in St....
