Some say to prepare for having children, raise a puppy first. While that is an idea, I think it is ideal if the couple thinking to have kids should have together or individually helped take care of their nieces, nephews, cousins, friends' babies, etc., even for a couple hours. Having some experience and knowing what to expect before the real thing is very important. I played with my nieces when they were toddlers and it could be exhausting, so I had some faint idea that a baby would be even more work.
Our baby experience was terrible but now that our toddler is approaching three, my sister-in-law came to Edmonton with her 5-month-old daughter and we went out on a Sunday with her. With the five of us, 3 adults, a toddler, and a baby, it was eye-opening to somewhat relive those baby years, but have a toddler in tow as well. Stuffing our compact SUV with additional baby equipment, keeping a toddler amused while keeping a baby from crying, we did this with 3 adults and it was a lot of work. Obviously it would have been worse with only 2 adults. No wonder birth rates worldwide are declining.
As with a couple thinking of becoming parents, for parents wavering on having a second child, my advice is "test drive" with a real baby.
No comments:
Post a Comment