Our son turned one recently, so naturally, the questioning has begun. It takes many forms, but the most commonly heard is, “Are you going to have another one soon?”
Let me be clear; we love kids, and we want more eventually, but right now the most obvious answer to us is NO! I’m having way too much fun with the one I have to think about adding another one to the mix. The best part about being healthy and having kids in your mid-20’s is that there’s no rush–none whatsoever. I never have and never will want to be the parent with two under two. Mad props to parents who take on that responsibility, but it is not the right choice for us. Of course I want my kids to get along and be best friends and enjoy doing things together, but I don’t think that means I have to rush the process in order to make it happen.
I think the questions regarding our family planning are harmless, and I’m sure the strangers who stop me in Target to comment on how great of a big brother my one-year-old would be are well-meaning, but come on. He doesn’t want to be a big brother because 1) He doesn’t know what that means, and 2) No toddler really wants to give up being the center of attention.
When I was pregnant with our son, I threw up every day. Every. Single. Day. I am certainly in no hurry to repeat that process, and no matter how many people tell me that every pregnancy is different, if it turns out the second one is the same (or God forbid, worse!), I don’t want to go through it with a toddler who’s still very needy and frequently wants to be carried places.
I think children are beautiful and special, but they’re also a whole lot of work. And because I’m running my own business, taking care of our home, raising a one-year-old, and trying to be my own person, I’m content in this place for awhile. I look forward to expanding our family in the future, but as of right now, this is where I want to be, and no amount of questioning is going to change that.
