how long were you married before you had your first child?
By frtwome
@frtwome (239)
United States
April 8, 2009 9:50am CST
My sister waiting five years before she had her first child. I think that she was smart in doing so, she and her husband traveled, went through a few job changes, some financial difficulties. All before they decided, that they were ready to settle down and have a child. They are still happily married with two grown children.
2 people like this
1 response
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Apr 09
I had my first child two months before my third wedding anniversary and then her sister arrived three years after that. I really found this to be a good timeframe for me... particularly because I knew that I would not do well having babies too close together :) (I know a family that had three kids within two years... that, for example, wouldn't have worked for me! LOL) We had saved for and bought our first new car and had moved from renting an upper duplex into a house of our own before the first baby was born.
1 person likes this
@frtwome (239)
• United States
8 Apr 09
I think that's fantastic. Good going on your part. You said about the family that had three kids within two years. My husbands sister, got married in her 30's. Two months after she was married, she was pregnant. She didn't stop for any kind of time period, it was one after another, as soon as she was well enough after having a child, she was pregnant again. She has five children. She wanted more than that. But, because of her job career, she decided to stop at five.
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Apr 09
Holy smokes! 5 children! THAT is a busy household. I've always had this secret envy for big families... I have only one sister and sometimes wondered what it would be like to sit around a big dinner table or celebrate holidays in a huge way. Now that both of my parents passed away prematurely (Dad at 53, Mom at 63), "family events" are almost non-existent. I always wanted two children... I knew that... and the age difference is the same as that between me and my own sister. Three years is "enough" when you're young, to keep some distance, and it's nothing at all when you're older. Funny, though, even at 44, I STILL get asked "don't you want to have a boy, too?" As if there would have been any guarantee... and hello! I'm 44! LOL! My answer was no back then and it's still no now.
@net101 (157)
• India
9 Apr 09
Big families have their own pluses and minuses. If one is rich or earning enough, he can maintain big family from financial point of view. For a middle class family it is next to impossible to rear 5 and provide good education and standard of living to make them valuable citizens of society. If I am from middle class family I would definitely prefer to have a small family of at least 2 kids without any hindrances of any kind to live a peaceful life.
