On today’s episode Dr. Rick and Forrest focus on one of the most important decisions we’ll make in life: the choice to become a parent. They focus on what good parenting looks like in practice, the key difference in thinking of a child as a “means” or an “end,” and how to know whether becoming a parent is the right path for you. 

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You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00 : Introduction

2:20 : The significance (and uniqueness) of this choice

4:50 : Being aware of your motivations for having a child

16:55 : The influence of primal biology

20:50 : Qualities of a good parent

30:30 : Mirroring, idealizing, twinship, and the process of differentiation

36:35 : Optimal frustration, and a healthy parental work ethic

41:25 : The rewards of being a parent

46:45 : If you don’t like __ you shouldn’t become a parent

48:50 : A word for current parents who wish things had been different 

53:00 : Community, partnership, and resources

55:10 : Meaning and fulfillment with or without a child

1:00:50 : Recap

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