Babies are wonderful. That fresh baby smell and the wonder of their smiles: Those chubby little things are hard to resist. Given the current celebrity baby boom and the growing number of high profile people who are expanding their families, its no wonder that the average family size is growing. What used to be a comfortable three for most people is turning into, ‘What’s one more?” If 40 is the new 30 in Hollywood, 4 kids is the new 2.
If you already have a few children and are asking yourself that vital question, “Should I have one more baby?” there are many things to consider. Choosing to bring another life into this world is a difficult decision, and no matter if you decide with your head or your heart, either way there will be issues that crop up.
At the end of the day, the only question that you may want to know is “What is it is really like to have 3 or more children?” If the harried mothers at the McDonalds play area are too zoned out to give you a straight answer, we’ve put together a family planning quiz of practical questions so you can get a better idea of whether you are ready for more kids:
Question One: How many arms do you have?
In other words, can you be octopus like when the need arises? Can you grab a running 2 year old while carrying a car seat with an infant in it? Can you hold four hands at once, pulling them along the way to the park so that you can be sure no one jumps into traffic? Any mother worth her salt can produce a phantom limb if need be, you just have to be willing to try.
Question Two: Do you have eyes in various spots on your head?
You know that old wives tale about having eyes in the back of your head? It’s a good one, and very appropriate for someone with 3 or more children. When you have 4 kids scattered around the room or the store or the playground, your head must be able to view all directions like the Google Street View camera.Which leads us to question three.
Question Three: Can your head spin around on your neck in a 360 rotation?
Much like having extra eyeballs, you must have the ability to rotate your neck around in a circle like that green girl in the exorcist. Kids are fast, and you have to be prepared to see from all view points quickly.
Question Four: How big is your van?
When you have four kids, the “Should I have a minivan?” question no longer applies. There is no should, there is only Yes, you must. Despite the fact that a minivan lacks a certain something in the cool car department, if you need 6 seats for people in a car, you must have a 7 seater van to hold everything. Think of the stroller, think of the groceries, think of the breathing room.
Question Five: How big is your bank account?
When you have a lot of kids, you have to take into consideration the cost of raising them. Many people say that they’d rather not have anymore children if it means that the kids they already have will do without. Raising kids is costly. You have to think about everything from the amount of sandwiches they will consume to the how you are going to pay for 4 kids to go to college. Although you shouldn’t only consider financial aspects when planning your family, it should definitely come into play.
If you already have a few kids, you know that the capacity that you have to love your children is endless. No matter if you have one or three or five, you can rest assured that you will love them all the same. But if find you are on the fence about having another baby, sit down and really try to figure out why. Is it the months of teething and the sleepless nights? Is it the fact that your house is too small or you already have financial difficulties? Do you feel as though at age 40 and over you might be too old? All of these things are legitimate concerns, and should be explored before you decide to take the plunge again.
As someone who has four children, I can attest to the fact that you will be tired. You will be praying for teeth to break through and you might even suffer from panic attacks brought on by entering the Costco with all of them. But I can also tell you that you will never, ever regret it, even on your worst day. I never have.
