Join notable guests like Ezra Klein, a journalist whose insights on parenting reveal the unexpected joys of raising kids, and Emily Oster, an economist sharing data-driven advice for family life. Holden Karnofsky discusses the surprise fun of parenthood, while Bryan Caplan reflects on homeschooling. The conversation explores the complexities of parental happiness, the reality of balancing work and family, and the everyday joys of connecting with children. Dive into evidence-based insights and personal anecdotes for a richer understanding of modern parenting.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Parenting Yourself and Your Child
Model good behavior for your children, as they learn by observing your actions more than your words.
Prioritize self-care to be a better parent, as factors like sleep, meditation, and stress levels significantly impact your parenting ability.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Freezing Embryos and Family Planning
Consider freezing embryos earlier in life for better quality gametes.
Research the best freezing methods, as standard clinic approaches like ICSI might be suboptimal.
insights INSIGHT
Impact of Kids on Relationships
Having children generally decreases happiness initially in relationships, particularly in the first year.
This decline slowly rebounds over time, eventually recovering by the time you have grandchildren.
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In 'Transformative Experience', L.A. Paul argues that certain life choices, such as deciding to become a parent, converting to a religion, or medically altering one's physical and mental capacities, are transformative experiences that cannot be assessed in advance. These experiences change the person in both epistemic and personal ways, making it impossible to make fully informed decisions based on current preferences and values. Paul uses classic philosophical examples and recent work in decision theory, cognitive science, and the philosophy of mind to develop a rigorous account of how we should understand and approach such transformative decisions.
The birth partner
everything you need to know to help a woman through childbirth
Penny Simkin
With kids very much on the team's mind we thought it would be fun to review some comments about parenting featured on the show over the years, then have hosts Luisa Rodriguez and Rob Wiblin react to them.
Ezra Klein on parenting yourself as well as your children (from episode #157)
Holden Karnofsky on freezing embryos and being surprised by how fun it is to have a kid (#110 and #158)
Parenting expert Emily Oster on how having kids affect relationships, careers and kids, and what actually makes a difference in young kids’ lives (#178)
Russ Roberts on empirical research when deciding whether to have kids (#87)
Spencer Greenberg on his surveys of parents (#183)
Elie Hassenfeld on how having children reframes his relationship to solving pressing global problems (#153)
80,000 Hours Podcast 
