Issue 29.10
Then comes the important question for new parents, when to have the next child? I know of some new fathers so excited by the birth of their first offspring have exclaimed to their wife who has just given birth: This is so marvelous; we just have to have another child as soon as WE can. Of course the overwhelmed new mother who has not yet recovered from childbirth has no interest going through another nine months of an “out of body experience” for anyone. The idea of more children will have to be expressed later at a more appropriate time when the memories of the labor and delivery have disappeared from her mind.
Pioneers with limited or no birth control never had to discuss this issue because mothers nursed their babies. When they stopped nursing they became pregnant again. Like clockwork almost every two years until menopause was reached or the mother died in childbirth, which many of them did. But we were a modern couple and decided to space our children so child #2 was born 3 years after his older brother. However, child #3 slipped in 15 months later and was surprisingly also a boy!
Life was busy with three little sons. Of course when growing up as an only child and wanting to be a ballerina, I had always dreamed of having five little girls to teach dancing to. Instead I was given all boys that I have always loved dearly. So much for girl’s names, although I certainly had lots of names in mind, but Lisa, Julia and April Spring didn’t fit my boys’ personalities. (Dancing was replaced by scouting and soccer when they grew older.)
Being a parent was a lot more work and responsibility than I had ever imagined. I discovered that when my child was sick or crying, there was no one else to care for them. Being a family was a total 24/7 service project and changing dirty diapers was not fun. Somehow it had been much easier playing house and mommy to my quiet docile dolls as a young girl. My hubby did help, but he wasn’t always there with his classes and working to support us. I also worked part time and discovered that I was responsible for finding competent baby sitters if hubby wasn’t available when I had to teach or be away from my children for any reason. Check out <lettersfromlin.blogspot.com> for more writings by Lin Floyd.