Who’s Happier…parents or non-parents? Does having kids mean sacrificing your independence? Is being a non-parent as fun as it looks on Instagram? BCBA and dog-dad Ley Linder hangs out today to make us all jealous of his obligation-free Saturdays and discuss the pros, cons, and societal pressures of parenthood and non-parenthood.

Honorable Mentions:

• Parent vs. Non-Parent Saturdays
• “Show me a place that has children’s toys at a brewery and I’ll show you a place that serves bad beer.” (Shout out to Nicole McBride @Vibrant Pilates)
• Tribute to all the soccer moms
• Blues City Deli
• Instagram parenting
• Getting your DRS degree (TM Julia Strait)
• A (practical) love story or two
• Pragmatic happiness
• 3 things you have to do before you marry someone
• The right way to load a dishwasher

Ley Linder is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs approved provider of Intensive Behavior Intervention services.  He has a Master of Arts in Gerontology from Appalachian State University, as well as a Master of Education, with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis, from Arizona State University. Ley’s specialties include behavioral gerontology and the behavioral presentations of neurological disorders, in addition to working with criminal offenders with intellectual disabilities. He is also a regional trainer for the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG) and is on the NTG Advisory Board.   

*Claire is Ley’s wonderful, beautiful, successful, and brilliant partner, in case you’re wondering as you listen :)

Actual Science:

Alloy, L.B.; Abramson, L.Y. (1988). Depressive realism: four theoretical perspectives.

Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2014). Evaluative and hedonic wellbeing among those with and without children at home. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(4), 1328-1333.

Becker, C., Kirchmaier, I., & Trautmann, S. T. (2019). Marriage, parenthood and social network: Subjective well-being and mental health in old age. PloS one, 14(7), e0218704.

Hansen, T., Slagsvold, B., & Moum, T. (2009). Childlessness and psychological well-being in midlife and old age: An examination of parental status effects across a range of outcomes. Social Indicators Research, 94(2), 343-362.

https://positivepsychology.com/parenthood-paradox/ 

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The Psychologists Podcast Patreon (support us if you feel like it!)

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/