Common Misconceptions About Starting A Family
As you may have seen in my previous post (Sometimes A Mom Needs To Hear...), I'm not a big fan of people sharing their unwanted advice or thoughts with me. I'm pretty laid back, but as soon as you start judging me for my decisions... I'm out! Even though I have never encouraged it from a single "Good Samaritan" THEY KEEP SHARING IT WITH ME!In the last few months I've heard these two multiple times....No way. Getting married isn't for me. Wow! You got married way too young! Now you'll never experience life!Ha! I'm not looking to have kids yet! Seriously, I'd have to give up everything!Ok. When did either of these become a good thing to tell someone? My husband and I made a very conscious choice to get married young. We never woke up one morning and said to ourselves, "Oh no! What did we do!?" We do, however, wake up and think, Dear God who told the toddlers they could crawl into our beds and kick us in the back all night... So, today I want to share a few misconceptions people have about couples that settle down and start a family...
The moment you have kids, your life is OVER.
Seriously. No. I have three kids and I am definitely still living my life. If that was true, why would anyone have kids? Your life changes, becomes messier, and amazing. I love my life and have never regretted having my kids young.
Getting married young means your marriage is doomed.
My husband and I were married when I was 20 and he was 23. We have been married for six years and are still going strong. Getting married is hard work. It doesn't matter how old you are. It requires a commitment from both people. If anything, think about the amount of baggage you bring into a relationship later in your life verses younger.... As long as you are both willing to work hard on your marriage and communicate, you can make it through anything.
You can't travel after you have kids.
Garbage. I have traveled exponentially more after having kids than I did before. All you have to do is teach your children to become little travelers. You can travel as a family or as your kids get bigger and can stay with a family member. If you want to travel, having kids by no way impedes on this desire. It just means you need to get creative to keep them busy on long flights.
I don't have enough money to have kids.
There is no perfect salary to have kids. If we all waited until we were rich to have kids... we'd have a lot less kids in the world. When you are ready to have kids, go for it. Be wise with your money and have a KILLER baby shower.
You will never sleep again after you have kids.
Ok... Maybe this one is true. I keep hoping to get more sleep as the babies get a little older. Then we have another one and my hopes for sleep are ruined. At least there are two of you to be exhausted together. Then you can both take turns! Or fight over who gets to sleep in.
Your sex life is over once you have kids.
Again. Let's do the math. If no one had sex after they had their first kid, how would there be so many big families out there? Put those kids in their beds and then mommy and daddy get to have their special alone time. While I do wish I would have slept for the entire year leading up to having my kids, I have never regretted my family. I am married to an amazing man who has stood by my side through the good, romantic, messy, exhausting, and disgusting moments of life we've experienced. I also have three amazing children that are teaching me so much every day. I love watching them grow together and become little buddies. I love that my husband and I are young parents. So, please don't apologize to me when you find out how many kids I have or how young I was when I got married. Please don't tell me all of the reasons you wouldn't have made my same decisions. I am completely happy with the decisions I have made. Even if it means I am a tired momma.
What are the misconceptions you have faced about starting a family?
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