Did you research having kids before you had kids?

We researched. We read books, we took our friends' kids for weekends, all sorts of things. I've worked with kids since I was 13, starting as a babysitter and ending up as a teacher. To be honest, it helped, but it's still not the same. I think the difference is that it's hard to apply all of the knowledge you get when you aren't getting as much sleep and you never get a break.

I dun care about kids until in my twenties when I found myself looking at them feeling super attracted to them. I guess that is my biological clock talking to me. I think you are very clever to be super prepared to discuss kids with your partner because when I married I was surprised that my new husband does not want a kid immediately. I remembered that I was quite devastated. Lucky for me things turn out in favour for me and we have a kid right after our first year of marriage. What I think of you is those people who love kids no matter where they come from. i think that your sort are the most kind hearted lot of humans. My late cousin was one. When we used to go out, she would play with any baby she saw while I carried on with my shopping. Now that i have kids of my own, I love only mine and care for others only conditionally.

For me I know that it is hard to deal with the child to care of after you get labor so hard and to be prefer it I would not said no because I'm five years of married but until now I don't have kids.

Researching, learning and preparing can have a lot of advantages, especially if one has no experience with children. I think adoption is wonderful as it provides a home for a child. I did not research, and was a single mother of two. There will never be a full manual per se and I was very blessed in doing a very successful job with both of mine. If I had to do it again, I probably would look into more researching maybe not so much before, as I do have kids but every little helps when it comes to raising children. You take in all advice but ultimately make your decisions as to which route is best.

You are just going to be great parents. And your children will be lucky to have you as parents. I also did lot of research before I become father and still keep researching for obvious reasons.

yes and no lol... when we found out we had a surprise and where pregnant i read up everything thing i could get my hands on before i gave birth

i dont think that you are crazy just because you watch this shows even you dont have any child/ren yet. this is heads up for you. some people really do analyze first before jumping into somthing they dont know. i am the first born of 5 children in our family, but i am the last one who got married. i sa my 20 year old sister got married and had a child, i saw also the rest of my siblings one by one getting married and having children. so i dont want to go there... i have to make sure i find the right person who is perfectly fit for me before i do anything like that. now i am married with my wife for 9 years now this August and we have a five year old son. i am happy that i did not hurry and i gave myself a chance to choose wisely. i did not research before i had a child but i saw it with my eyes while living with my sister and brother who married at the young age. my sister has a daughter and my brother has 2 sons. they all live with my mom so i see them as a parent everyday. i slowly learned the dos and donts. i am no expert of course experience is still the best teacher. hands on is still the best there are things that you will experience that research can not provide for you. and the feeling of taking care of your own child is a different course. but that is all good for you... doing that all makes sure that you are a great parent... your (soon) child/children will be lucky to have you as their parent.

I admire you. You seem to be a very productive person.And you don't get tired in learning new things. Great! So you have already been exposed to kids of different ages! I supposed you already have so much idea on how to get along with kids and how to discipline them as well. Nevertheless, having a kid of your own is the best teacher of all. You will discover new things about kids if you are taking care and nurturing your own. I just wonder though why you are thinking of adopting instead of bearing your own? I would like to tell you that motherhood is one of the greatest things that would ever happen to a woman. I am talking through experience and I hope all women out there will have this same great experience as well.

Hello la_chique! Tell you what, most of my favorite magazines are all about parenting and household. I don't have a child yet but i do have nieces. I find it nice to have children at home and know how to take care of them. I like children too and I do research a lot about them. I graduate preschool education but i have never work yet in a classroom setting like preschool. But hopefully next year, i will be teaching in preschool. Well, i don't think you're mad. Perhaps you are just so excited to have own kids and can't wait to take care of them on your own. You just like kids and you want to know a lot about them. I do buy toys, books, coloring pens and children's stuffs.LOL! I just keep them in a box. I gave some of them to my nieces. I would love to have children in the future.

I don't have kids yet, either. I do know that nothing short of actually having (human) children will truly prepare me for them. However, I have raised a lot of four-legged children, which means that I've already been acclimated to cleaning up vomit, cleaning up what the "kids" have just taken out, escorting sick "kids" to the doctor, medicating the unwilling, cleaning the ears of the unwilling, stepping on/tripping over toys, having my sleep interrupted at unholy hours... Of course, children are a lot more difficult than fuzzies are. They are also not as forgiving of our shortcomings. I do know, though, that no "reality" show will ever give a truly real picture of all of the joys and pains of being a parent.

I didn't really do a lot of research because like you I had a LOT of experience with children of all ages. Before I had children I already had a LOT of nieces and nephews, my own in home childcare business, I babysat all the time, I was a preschool teacher and I worked in many daycares. I pretty much knew exactly what it would be like. With all of the experience I had hands on with kids I was ready to have my own children. I am glad I had so much experience already because it definitely helped a lot with my own! =) I think it's smart to do your research and have experience. You will know what to expect when you do have or adopt a child. I think you will be a great parent because you are learning so much about children and things that come as a surprise to new parents, you will already know and expect it.

I don't think you are mad either. i remember reading somewhere recently, i can't remember where, that the best thing for a child is to be brought up in a happy household, and to be loved. All these television programmes about how to bring them up are interesting, but there is a danger you replace your own judgment with other peoples advice, when your own judgment is probably right, and you would know yourself and your child far better than any "expert". i also read in a book once that a dysfunctional family is not caused so much by things going wrong, as by denial of those things, so that if something bad happens and the parent says it never happened, that is what causes the greatest problems. though obviously that only works up to a certain point, as the bad things cause damage too. you seem to have everything well planned, and i wish you success in going forward with adoption, and i would say that it is love that matters most.

you're doing a great job to your future baby. In my country, a few people can do this like you do. and where did you get the sewing machine, you brought it? i think that is a great and funny thing to make clothes to the baby. Don't think to much..you are doing great. just keep it going. happy all the time.