This is the reaction I got from my GP (family doctor) when I went to see her a little while ago.

I went to see her to confirm a pregnancy … our third, I might need to add. I know that this isn’t a very child friendly society, that lots of people think one or two children is plenty (should you bother to have any at all) and I am aware that some people even think you don’t know how not to fall pregnant if you still have more children after your second. Strange that it has never occurred to these people that some people would choose to have more children, because they like “large” families (not that I would call 3 or 4 children an incredibly large family).

pregnant_belly.jpgMy doctor isn’t really that type of person, or at least I wouldn’t have thought her this type of person, so maybe her reaction was more to the spacing of our children. I suppose they’re rather close in age for today’s liking, but we like it this way. Our first daughter was nearly 20 months, when our second daughter was born and our second daughter will be 20 months when this next little person comes into the world. Nothing wrong with that to me!

So more for my own benefit than anybody else’s I wanted to record our reasons for having more children and having them “so close”. Don’t feel you have to keep reading, it might get a bit boring now.

  • I grew up with one sibling only (I’ve got an older brother) and I thought that as a child this was pretty boring. If my brother didn’t want to play with me there was no-one else to play with.
  • My brother and I fought a lot and while this might be normal for siblings I think that it can be intensified by the fact that there’s no other distraction. We were always sitting on top of each other like this old nagging couple, with the difference that we hadn’t even chosen each other in the first place. I guess I’ve got this little theory that in larger families you can find another playmate and come back to the other one when the black clouds have cleared instead of worsening the tension by being in each others face.
  • Most people who grew up with more siblings really loved it. Kids love being with other kids and to them it’s like a permanent sleep-over. I have never heard any of them say “I wish I’d have less siblings”.
  • Similarly, when speaking to parents I’ve never heard any of them say “I wish I’d have less children” whereas I have often heard that people wished they’d had more. Many people stop after two cause it just seems like a practical thing to do, it might have been the normal thing at the time and it certainly seems just too hard at the time (to come back for more while there’s two little people in the house already).
  • I know that I’m quite clucky, I love kids. Yet I could see myself easily stopping after two because I do find looking after two little ones incredibly hard work. And I don’t think I’d have more once those two are a bit older. As much as I love this stage, I think once moved on from here I wouldn’t like to come back to it. And then in 10 years time I’d be the one saying “I wish I’d have more children”. I do not want to have to regret.
  • Therefore, while we’re already right in the whole baby and toddler stage, we though it’d be best to stay there for a little longer and then all move on together. Sure, we’re preparing ourselves for a few mad years but after that we’ll have the long-term enjoyment of a nice-size family … Well that’s the theory anyway