When deciding to have children we not only question how many kids to have but how far apart they should be. I’ve determined that it comes down to two deciding factors. Either we make it easier on ourselves, as parents, or we make it easier on our children. Here’s what I mean: When you have children that are 4 years apart or more, like mine, you are essentially making it easier on yourself as a parent.
1) You don’t have more then one child in baby stages, making it easier to give time, energy, and attention to the one you have.
2) For working moms-you don’t have to pay for daycare for more then one child at a time.
3) You don’t have two teenagers in the house at the same time (this one is self-explanatory).
4) You pay for one car and one college education at a time.
Now, when you have children that are 3 years apart or less you are basically making things easier for them.
1) Being closer in age, they may feel closer and more bonded to their siblings. Especially if you have more then two children, because then there won’t be siblings that are 8 or more years apart.
2) They will most likely have more in common with each other.
3) Better chance of them being a support system for each other as they grow since they are hitting life stages around the same time.
Now I realize there are definite benefits to parents for having children closely together and there are definite negatives to having children further apart. But when I think about whether or not I want more children and when I should have them, it reminds me of all the reasons I planned for at least 4 years between Alexandria and Olivia. And, I can’t help but wonder sometimes if in my selfish planning I’ve made things harder for them as sisters.
1 comment:
Nicely said! Unless you start old, like me, and it's either close together, or no kids at all!
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