Deciding whether or not to have a baby or further expand your family is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your lifetime. As such, it can be a difficult decision-making process for many.

Because of the multiple competing factors that go into making this decision, it can be helpful to have a framework for guiding decision-making and discussions if you are making this decision with a partner. As such, below are several exercises to help you be more intentional in your decision-making and discussions about entering parenthood for the first or a subsequent time.

Values help orient us to what is most meaningful in life and can help guide decision-making. When our values are aligned with our behaviors and life choices, we tend to feel and live better—when they are not, we tend to suffer. Values are different for different people and can change throughout our lives. As such, if you engage in the exercise below and decide against adding a(nother) baby to your family today, it can be worth revisiting because of the capacity for change.

Take........

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