The Pros And Cons Of Having A Baby According To Facebook – Part 2

This week I turned 39. That’s only a year away from turning 40 when the chances of having a baby apparently starts proving more difficult. So it’s decision time. Eep!

The good news is that, after 10 years of being single, I have a partner – Tick.

And we’re getting married in June – Tick.

And we are committed to being happy together whether or not we have children – Tick.

Of course, we’re still hopeful that conception will look more like this:

Rather than this:

But seriously, our only concern is, after only 18 months together, we’re still enjoying each other’s company immensely and absolutely loving the freedom that comes with it.

To assist in the decision whether to have a baby or not, I proffered a few pros and a few cons in Part 1 of the article titled Freedom Or Family: The Pros And Cons Of Having A Baby – Part 1.

To help fill in the many blanks, particularly the pros, I also asked the wonderful Canvas Factory community to offer their Pros and Cons.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful contributions! And cheers to the person who suggested we get a dog. My responsibility to my animals kept me living in the country for 15 years, so to that I say ‘You don’t have to put a baby in quarantine for 6 months upon your return from overseas which means, unlike a dog, you can take a baby on your travels and bring them safely home again!’

Fur babies: 0
Human babies: 1

Here we have it, the complete list – The Pros And Cons Of Having A Baby According To Facebook:

Pros:

1. We will get to share our childish wonder with, well, a child. My partner – who’s a puppeteer – can entertain the child with puppets and put to good use his massive collection of cartoon DVDs while I can sing, paint and read to my heart’s content (without judgement). (Eli)
2. We’ll have someone to visit, care for and love us when we’re old. (Eli)
3. Watching the development of a little person is a lot of fun. (Facebook)
4. The cuddles, the love that makes your heart want to burst – really just way too amazing for words to describe. (Facebook)
5. Your own in-house zen master every single day. (Facebook)
6. Watching the growth and development of a human being’s brain is amazing. (Facebook)
7. A slower life, enjoying the little things, like a piece of grass or watching a butterfly. (Facebook)
8. If you weren’t before, you become closer to your family members. (Facebook)
9. You become closer to your partner – hopefully. (Facebook)
10. You have a whole new bunch of friends who also have the same anxieties about child rearing that you do. (Facebook)
11. You increase your knowledge of nursery rhymes, schools nearby and non-toxic toys. (Facebook)

Cons:

1. It will be harder to travel overseas for long periods of time because the child will need to be in school. (Eli)
2. Kids are expensive so we wouldn’t be able to have as many nice things anymore. (Eli)
3. There will be less time to enjoy each other’s company – and we love each other’s company. (Eli)
4. It will hurt. A lot. (Eli)
5. We’re too old. When our child starts school, all the kids (and parents) will poke fun at our grey hairs. (Eli)
6. Truly the most thankless hard work and stressful undertaking of your life. That said, zero regrets from me. (Facebook)
7. Lack of sleep. (Facebook)
8. Two words: sleep deprivation. (Facebook)
9. It’s exhausting. (Facebook)
10. They grow really quickly – which is a pro as well right? (Facebook)
11. News stories about children feel very close to home – the good news and the bad. (Facebook)
12. The mummy wars suck. A lot. (Facebook)
13. Poonamis. (Facebook)

The most poignant comment received was:

Some people just aren’t parents. Others are. Most fall somewhere in between.

I reckon we’d be fantastic parents. Perhaps we just love our sleep ins on the weekend a little too much though. The consistent theme regarding lack of sleep makes this a major concern.

I’m not sure I’m cut out for the mummy wars. I wonder if it’s at all possible for my darling husband to deal with all that nonsense, instead…?

One thing I do know is we haven’t stopped planning overseas holidays! Maybe nothing ever will. And maybe, given nil quarantine issues, we don’t need to.

Oh, let a woman dream …