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I'm one of those women who decided that she wanted to have all of her kids before she turned 30. My plans have certainly worked out, as I just hit my third decade a few weeks ago, have two beautiful little girls and no plans for any others. Yet, media has been buzzing over the last few months that women are waiting longer to have children and/or get married, which makes me think I could be the exception to the rule. The reason I chose my path is because I want to spend my later years enjoying time with my husband and not changing diapers. Women who are putting their families on hold are choosing to focus their younger years on their careers and personal development. Either way, deciding when (of if) to have children is always a highly personal decision. Did you decide to wait or start early? What were some of the reasons? Was it the right choice for you?
Hi. I'm 28 yrs old and I'm seven weeks pregnant with my second child. This is my last one. I too wanted to have all my children before I was 30. The reason why, well I want to be young enough to enjoy their life and activites (even when they are 30) and old enough to live out my college years and form a nice enviroment for my kids. This way I enjoyed life, and now I can give them things so that they too can enjoy life. I dream of being able to enjoy traveling with my husband once the kids have left the nest. I'm hoping this plan allows it to come true.
I'm 32 and waiting a few more years. I went through a lot over the past decade and want to enjoy what I have achieved for a little bit longer. Life is good. But, I know I'll b ready for a little one soon :)
I think either way is great. I can see that getting it out of the way would be good b/c you could enjoy retirement and things like that, but I also think kids keep you young and I wouldn't mind being blessed with another later on.
I totally agree with you hornsbys! I want to be young enough to be able to relate to my kids when they're going through high school and college (heaven knows I don't remember grammar school!), but also be able to live my life as an adult. I also think that having my kids be able to see how I push myself to achieve my MA and PhD degrees is good for them. Most of what I remember about my parents when I grew up was them working at jobs that paid the bills. I want my girls to learn that they can reach for the things they want in life and grab them, just like their mom. I think if I'd waited to have children, they would miss out on that.
I never thought much about having kids and timing... but after marrying my wife the idea of when to have children suddenly became very important. For my wife and I it was important we have them young enough we will be able to participate in their lives, enjoy our not-too-old older years, being able to afford their needs and wants, and spacing out each child. We started early because it worked best for our plans, and thus far I believe it was a good choice for us.
My wife and I also decided to have our first child at a "young-er" age. At least young being in our mid-twenties. After having our first child and seeing the time and the way he completely changed everything in our lives we decided to have another child at a 3 1/2 year age gap so it will be a couple of years now until we have our next child. We really wanted to be young enough to really enjoy our kids youth and be able to really play with them. I know my mother had my youngest brother at 37 and by the time he was ready to go to college she was wiped out, I wanted to be able to enjoy my kids.
Madsdad, what have your experiences been like? Was it what you expected?