If you don't have kids, you may have wondered whether or not you should have one.

And this is a monumental decision where the pros and cons are hard to predict and hard to quantify.

So should you?

And how should you make this decision or any other similarly complex decision? Welcome back to savvy psychologist.

I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu.

Every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment. Today, apologies in advance, I have a sore throat

and a stuffed nose, I'm at the end of a cold, so apologies for my abnormal voice, but today we look at a very interesting topic, the topic of making

very difficult and complex decisions, like whether or not to have kids. It turns out that borrowing ideas from acceptance and commitment therapy might help.

A while ago a listener wrote in to ask a very existential question. She asked, I'm struggling with trying to decide

whether to have kids or not. How do you make a decision like that?

Well on a personal note, right when she was asking this question, I was about to have my first child.

This was coming at the end of about 10 years of indecision.

Late night back and forth with myself, ever-growing pros

versus cons lists, moments of seeming clarity immediately clouded by doubt.

Would I be a good parent? Would having a child change my relationship with my partner?

Would I miss out on a profound life experience if I don't have a child?

Or if I do?

Is it ethical to bring a child into the world to add one more carbon footprint

to the earth?

Would my kid even like me?

What if they have health problems?

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