Standing in my living room looking at our two year old who seemed to be sprinting her way to three, I thought to myself “I am ready to talk with my wife about having another baby.” However, before I could have that conversation something ironic happened, we were pregnant! This was shocking, but pleasantly surprising news. But was I ready?
The Only Child
There are many reasons to have just one child. For a lot of people it may be a financial decision, or a lifestyle decision. For others it is a decision they did not make on their own but maybe their bodies made the decision for them. While there are plenty of understandable reason for someone to not have a litter of children, I had always known I wanted more than one.
Parents have many reasons for having the amount of children they do. Everything from religion, to family traditions, and then of course the “surprise child.” Making a decisions about the number of children to have is a big one.
The answer has been clear since I was a kid
Growing up with an older sister I never knew a life without a sibling. So it was an easy decision to make when it came to adding another kid to the mix. Of course at times, it was your typical sister vs. brother war! “Stay out of my room, Tyler!”, “Get off the other line, Tyler!” (Thats a house phone thing for you young dads), and the most common phrase a sister can yell “You’re SO gross!”
Even with the childlike arguments, it is the good times and the amazing sibling bond that affected my decision. I knew I wanted our daughter to have the opportunity to form a bond with a sibling. Plus, our first child was a girl and what father doesn’t want to try for that boy!
Picture Perfect?
Did I ever think that I wanted a picture perfect family of four? Two-story house and the little white picket fence? Of course not. I just knew that I wanted my children to have a similar upbringing as my own. Having a sibling during my childhood helped build the man I am today.
Here We Are
On November 23, my wife and I welcomed our second child to the world! Waiting 9 months to find out if I was going to have a son or two daughters. It was an emotional rollercoaster leading to the moment HE finally showed himself. I had a son! My wife and I could not be happier about having two children.
Regardless of your reasons to have more than one child remember, being a parent is one of the greatest adventures! As I talk about my children and family I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, “I remember why I left Neverland, I know why I grew-up, I wanted to become a daddy.” –Peter Pan
Three questions to ask yourself:
Is having more than one child something that is important to you and your spouse?
Do external factors such as pressure from family and friends have an influence on your decision?
Are you overthinking it instead of letting things fall into place?
Interested in more from The Dad Crew:
- Earning a Degree While Parenting
- Microdating Your Other Half
- Things I Didn’t Know I Needed as a Dad: Vulnerability
- Doing Disney with a Baby
- Drinking Around the Disney World