Latest news with #Oster
Axios
07-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Utah moms are having babies later than ever
Utah women are waiting longer than they did two decades ago to have children. Why it matters: Increased access to fertility treatments and reliable birth control are helping more women delay parenthood, although obstacles remain to getting pregnant later in life. By the numbers: On average, moms in Utah are 29 when they give birth — up from 26.7 in 2003 and slightly younger than the national average of 29.7, according to provisional CDC data. Between the lines: Utahns are also getting hitched later. The median age of Utahns getting married for the first time was 26 in 2023, up from 24.5 in 2010, per census data. Zoom in: In 2012, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began allowing 19-year-old women to serve 18-month missions, potentially delaying marriage and childbirth, according to research from the Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah State University. Research also suggests that parents may delay having children by three to four years in a pricey real estate market. Utah is the seventh most expensive state to buy a house. The big picture: Nationally, the birth rate for teenagers and women in their early 20s dropped to record lows in 2024, as the birth rate for women over 30 rose, per the CDC data. And women ages 30 to 34 had a higher birth rate (95.4 per 1,000 women) than those in their late 20s (91.4). What they're saying: "Fertility declines with age, but 35 is not a cliff by any stretch," Emily Oster, an economist and bestselling author of pregnancy and parenting books, tells Axios. "Plenty of people have kids in their late 30s, but it might take a little more work and you might want to be thoughtful about your timing," says Oster, who recently launched a "trying to conceive" (TTC) section on her ParentData website. Between the lines: Knowing about fertility barriers before trying to get pregnant could encourage hopeful older parents to address potential medical issues and perhaps freeze eggs for IVF — giving them a better shot at pregnancy.
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
Mom explains why she says 'no' to some kids' birthday parties
One mom is defending her recent take on RSVPing "no" to other children's birthday parties. In a late April appearance on the "We Met At Acme" podcast, "The Family Firm" author Emily Oster, an economics professor and mom of two, explained that she and her husband actively prioritize family time, adding that they sometimes say "no" to non-family activities, such as a kid's birthday party, if they're held at previously agreed upon times. "You have to decide for your family, what are the things that are important? And one way to do that is to think big picture, like, 'What are our values?' and so on, and another is just to be like, 'What do we want our days and weekends to look like?'" Oster explained in a podcast clip shared on TikTok, which has since picked up over 223,000 views. "If there were a Sunday afternoon birthday party, which is a time in which we don't generally do things as a family, I would be happy to let my kid go if they wanted. But if the birthday party is Sunday morning, which is a time that we like to go hiking or do other stuff together, it's just 'no,' and I think for me, that kind of simplicity is so important," Oster continued. Hundreds have weighed in on the TikTok post, which now has over 700 comments, with some parents agreeing with Oster's viewpoint and others strongly disagreeing. "I wasn't a no all the time but agree here, majority no's on bday parties. All of mine played very serious travel sports, time felt sacred, had to sacrifice somewhere & happy we did," one person commented. Other parents pointed out that the general rule of making collective time to spend as a family doesn't have to come at the expense of other values. "I have the opposite philosophy. If my kid gets invited, they will go. It's such an easy thing and you never know how your kid showing up will be important to the birthday kid," one TikTok user commented. "You can't hike on a Sunday afternoon instead of Sunday morning? Like yes family time but it doesn't have to be static," another person wrote. Oster, who is also the CEO of the online platform ParentData, told "Good Morning America" she hopes people listen to the podcast in full to better understand her position. "If you just said, 'My family likes to spend time together on Sunday morning,' I don't think that's a very controversial statement," Oster said, adding, "My kids go to birthday parties. My kids spend time with other students [and] kids. We have play dates, etc. It is just about, in this particular example, a way in which a family might prioritize or think about their time." She said she and her husband have kept their family time commitment with their two kids, who are now 10 and 14, "for a long time," and over the years, they've enjoyed doing a variety of activities together, from hiking and spending time outdoors to bowling. "The idea that we would like to spend some time together as a family, that is part of the core values that my husband and I share, and I think it's very similar to many other families," said Oster. Oster said she doesn't expect every parent or family to agree with her perspective but that she hopes fellow parents can take a closer look at the choices they're making for their families, and prioritize what's best for them. "It's really valuable to think about the choices that you make and that the choices that are right for you might not be the same choices that are right for everybody," she said. "What I urge people is to think about what you want your weekends to look like … so then you can make the life that you love."
New York Post
06-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Post
I don't let my kid go to birthday parties — family time is more important
Prioritizing what's important as a family can be a tough gig, but for Emily Oster there's one childhood activity that'll never come first. Children's birthday parties. Advertisement The economist and mom of two says her family prefers to forego social occasions to instead focus on family time. 'That's not everybody's thing, but that's our thing' Oster explained her anti-party stance in a recent episode of the podcast 'We Met At Acme', which was posted to TikTok. 'The idea of prioritizing some time that the four of us can spend together that is family time, that is very central,' she explained. Advertisement 'That's not everybody's thing, but that's our thing. Once we have that, it sort of rules out many other things.' She says she's not entirely against the idea of parties, but there's lots of factors that play into the decision of letting her kids attend. 'It's not that I'm categorically opposed to the concept of a birthday party. If there were a Sunday afternoon birthday party, which is a time at which we don't generally do things as a family, I would be happy to let my kid go if they wanted,' Emily continued. 3 Prioritizing what's important as a family can be a tough gig, but for Emily Oster her family will never prioritize birthday parties. TikTok / @wemetatacme Advertisement However, should a party were to clash with time often put aside for family it would be a hip hip no way! 'If the birthday party is a Sunday morning, which is a time that we like to go hiking or do stuff together, it's just no,' she explained. The weekend is when her family reconnects and it's an agreement within the family unit that isn't going to change. We decided a thing that was important, and the other thing is less important, and this other thing is less important because we said this first thing was the most important,' she said. Advertisement 3 'The idea of prioritizing some time that the four of us can spend together that is family time, that is very central,' she explained. Getty Images for Emily Oster 3 The comment section had some strong opinions about Oster's views. Getty Images 'Mom doesn't want to change her lifestyle' The comment section had some strong opinions about Oster's views. 'Sounds more like mom doesn't want to change her personal lifestyle for her kids. She wants to hike, the kids would likely rather be at a birthday party for a friend,' one commenter criticized. 'My mum was like this. Eventually if you deny enough parties, people will just stop inviting your child. It was very sad for me,' a second person agreed. A third wrote 'I'm a teacher. Kids talk about their birthday parties all week and after the weekend. You're excluding your child not just from the party, but from the whole experience around it. It's isolating.'
Axios
24-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
30-somethings nudge U.S. birth rate off record low
With more people delaying parenthood thanks to increased access to reliable birth control and fertility treatments, older moms are having more babies. Why it matters: Although it's become more common, getting pregnant at " advanced maternal age" isn't always easy. By the numbers: The birth rate for teenagers and women in their early 20s dropped to record lows in 2024, as the birth rate for women over 30 rose, according to provisional CDC data released Wednesday. Women aged 30-34 had a higher birth rate (95.4 per 1,000 women) than those in their late 20s (91.4). Reality check: Although the number of overall births rose 1% from 2023 to 2024, that's an increase from the nation's lowest fertility rate in nearly a century. The big picture: Since the first IVF baby was born nearly 50 years ago, we've made big breakthroughs in understanding and treating infertility — and giving people options if they choose to delay parenthood. Egg freezing, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI) and even uterine transplants have become more common. Plus, we have a better understanding of how lifestyle affects fertility in both men and women. Today, many hopeful parents, especially those over 35, can have babies through medical advancements that seemed like science fiction a generation ago. "Fertility declines with age, but 35 is not a cliff by any stretch," Emily Oster, an economist and bestselling author of pregnancy and parenting books, tells Axios. "Plenty of people have kids in their late 30s, but it might take a little more work and you might want to be thoughtful about your timing," says Oster, who recently launched a "trying to conceive" (TTC) section on her ParentData website. Knowing about fertility barriers ahead of TTC could encourage hopeful older parents to address a medical issue and/or freeze eggs for IVF early on — giving them a better shot at pregnancy. Yes, but: Even with new fertility technology and planning ahead, infertility can't always be overcome. Tips to getting pregnant Here's what prospective older parents can do to learn whether they have fertility roadblocks — and get pregnant more easily when they're ready: Track their cycle. If women knew earlier whether they had a normal menstrual cycle, it could save them from finding out too late that they have a condition, such as endometriosis or PCOS, that can interfere with getting pregnant. And being educated on when they ovulate could prevent hopeful moms from reaching a point where "they're now 34½ and realize, 'Oh, I was having sex at the wrong time for the last five months, and now I've lost five months of good fertility," Oster says. Boost sperm health.
Local Germany
15-04-2025
- General
- Local Germany
German word of the day: Osterfeuer
Why do I need to know Osterfeuer ? This word may come up as you make plans for a spring vacation or Easter celebrations in Germany. The tradition that the term refers to is particularly popular in some regions, but most of your German friends and colleagues will be familiar with the custom, whether or not they've been to one themselves. Origins of the German Osterfeuer tradition Oster is the adjectival form of Ostern - the German word for Easter - and, as you may have guessed, feuer means fire. Put together, an Osterfeuer (pronounced like this ) is the name of an Easter bonfire. In particular, it refers to the tradition of having a bonfire during the Easter holiday where groups of people gather to celebrate either the Christian holiday or the changing of the season. In fact, the English word 'Easter' comes from the German word Ostern. One common theory is that the German word was derived from the name Eostre (also sometimes spelled Ostara), who was an Anglo-Saxon goddess thought to have been associated with the spring season and fertility. In pre-Christian times, Germanic peoples are thought to have celebrated the end of winter around the spring solstice by lighting bonfires as well as engaging in feasts and dancing. In the days leading up to Easter, locals would gather branches and twigs to build a bonfire. After the fire, ashes were scattered on fields to make them fertile for the coming season. Advertisement When Christianity was established in Germany, it's thought that many of the springtime celebratory traditions were essentially co-opted by the church and simply took on new symbolic meanings. In the case of Easter bonfires, the fire which had once been seen as chasing away the dark winter spirits instead came to be representative of Jesus Christ. READ ALSO: What's on over the Easter holidays in Germany in 2025 How the Osterfeuer tradition lives on For many people today, Easter bonfires have lost their religious significance and simply offer a chance to father with friends and family around the turn of the season. The bonfire is typically lit on either Good Friday, Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday, and the community gathers in the evening to enjoy food and drink around the fiery glow. This practice is especially popular in northern Germany, with the region around Hamburg having a large number of Osterfeuern . Parts of western Germany, such as in and around North Rhine-Westphalia also have a fair amount of bonfires, and one particularly famous one if the Osterräderlauf (Easter wheel run) in Lügde, which sees burning wheels of oak and straw sent down a hillside. Spectators watch as a burning wooden Easter wheel rolls down the hill in Lüdge, North Rhine-Westphalia. Burning wooden wheels have been rolled down hills as part of Easter celebrations in Lügde for many generations. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Caroline SeidSeidel-Dißmannel That said, you can likely find an Osterfeuer somewhere nearby in most places in Germany. Here's a list of some to be found in Berlin , for example. (For other places try searching ' Osterfeuer + your city or region name'.) Germany's Federal Environment Agency estimates that between 10,000 and 20,000 Easter fires are lit each year in Germany, and warns that the fires can create high levels of particular pollution in the air in certain regions. This year, some bonfire events may be cancelled , as large parts of Germany are at a heightened fire risk due to an ongoing drought. Advertisement Use it like this: Dieses Jahr wollen wir am Sonntagabend zum Osterfeuer gehen. This year we plan to go to the easter bonfire on Sunday evening. Am liebsten esse ich am Osterfeuer Stockbrot. My favourite thing to eat at the Easter fire is bread on a stick.
