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oldest is 10, am I craZy to want another baby?

post #1 of 46
1/30/05 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
I have a 7 yr old ds and a 10 yr old ds.....I have never felt the urge to have another child, until now! I fear that I have no idea what's in store for me now that the boys are getting a bit older. My boys are really great, we have really wonderful relationships. Can this change in the teen/preteen years? Am I going to have too much to deal with that a baby would distract me from? I guess really I'm starting to get worried in advance - sex, peer pressures, alcohol. Anyone have any experience they can share?
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post #2 of 46
1/30/05 at 9:28pm
I say, if your DH is for it, go for it! I have 4 kids - 2, 4, 12 and 14 so there's an 8 year gap. It certainly wasn't planned but I have to say, it's a great way to have kids! LOL - I have a bit more freedom since I have built-in babysitters and the girls (there's the one difference) are wonderful with the little ones. My girls are so happy to be sisters to little ones and love to show off the kids to everyone. I'm not sure how that would work with boys but they're young enough that they'll probably enjoy the little ones too! Teen years can be different but nothing says that you're going to have hard times with your boys and that having a baby would make it that much harder. The only tough thing that I find is, now that my oldest is in high school (she was homeschooled up until now) is getting up in the morning after a rough night with the baby - or staying up late with the teen to talk when you were up at 5 AM with a baby who was all set to play that morning. There's definate pros and cons but I don't think you'd regret having another baby but that's really up to you and DH.

Ann
post #3 of 46
1/30/05 at 10:23pm
I was 8 when my liitle bro was born and I think it was a good thing. Maybe having a little one to be a good role model for will make dealing with those presures easier...
post #4 of 46
1/30/05 at 10:29pm
my best friend wanted another baby when her youngest was 6. She had an older dd 8. she was blessed with twin boys and the older two are such a great help to her and best of all company. she is sooo pleased with the way things worked out. She is doing amazing.
post #5 of 46
1/30/05 at 10:52pm
one of my favorite aspects of being a mother to many widely spaced children has been seeing my oldest ds (15) interact with my newborn

i've seen the future and already know what kind of father he'll one day be.
post #6 of 46
1/30/05 at 11:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4xmamamia
i've seen the future and already know what kind of father he'll one day be.

Ditto. My oldest was 9 when our youngest was born. Dd was 5. Ds1 was there for the birth and has been just wonderful with his little brother all along. In fact, he couldn't wait until he could babysit, which is really nice for me! Ds2 adores his big brother. The only snag we've hit so far is that the older is needing more private time lately and the younger doesn't "get it." He wants to play with his brother all the time!

But that's certainly not a biggie.

We had been expecting another baby, and my kids would have been 14, 10 and 5 at that time. The age range didn't concern me in the least.

Good luck with your decision.
post #7 of 46
1/30/05 at 11:47pm
My mom had my baby sister when I was 18 and my brothers were 14 and 10. I love it. I was at the birth and cut the cord, and my sister has been the greatest gift.
post #8 of 46
1/31/05 at 12:18am
My oldest was nearly 15 when my youngest was born, and my middle 2 were 6 and 8. I wouldn't change a thing and really enjoy how all my children interact. There's nothing like seeing your teenage son carry his baby sister around in a sling at a varsity cross country meet!
post #9 of 46
1/31/05 at 2:30am
you can see by my signature line my oldest is 10 years older than our youngest. Wasn't planned but turned out very well. My mother is 5th of 15 kids and is far older than her youngest siblings- her 3 youngest brothers are closer to me in age.
post #10 of 46
1/31/05 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 
This is just what I wanted to hear. How nice that you all have experience with this in one way or another. Each of you said something that made me smile. My boys really would like to have a new brother/sister. If it weren't for DH I probably wouldn't be wondering about having another, he is only 35 and I'm 34....he thinks in 10 years we're going to be too tired to be chasing kids around the soccer fields and so forth I think kids keep you young! I have to admit as my boys are getting older and need me less...I miss that! My Mom says I should go back to school or get a full time job, but I love being a sahm.
post #11 of 46
1/31/05 at 1:54pm
I have two children...DS will be 15 y/o in March, and DD just turned 3 months old. So far it's been a marvelous experience...DS is now getting confident about picking up his baby sister (he was nervous before because her head was "too wobbly"), and they will just sit and study each other's faces, grinning and making sounds. While DS was pretty skeeved about BF in the beginning, he's now comfortable enough that he'll sit right beside me while I'm nursing her (he covers his eyes while I latch, tho...LOL).

Having a baby has led naturally to many topics that would have come up in a more artificial, forced way otherwise: sexual abstinence before marriage, responsibility, choices, abortion, love, relationships, even depression. While we've had many of these talks over the years, having a baby makes it more tangible to him.

Lisa
post #12 of 46
1/31/05 at 2:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisahas2cats
Having a baby has led naturally to many topics that would have come up in a more artificial, forced way otherwise: sexual abstinence before marriage, responsibility, choices, abortion, love, relationships, even depression. While we've had many of these talks over the years, having a baby makes it more tangible to him.
I could not agree more with this! Most of the topics Lisa mentioned, my oldest DS and I have discussed, all due to having the 2 younger children.
I know I am having a positive influence on my oldest DS (11.5) on how he will someday parent his own children. We talk often about the choices DH and I have made, like cloth diapering, GD, not circ-ing, BFing, selective delayed vax, etc.... We let DS know about the research we have done, and about how we came to do things the way we do.
post #13 of 46
1/31/05 at 2:33pm
Didn't have time to read the responses, but when I was born my mother's oldest was 12 and her youngest was 7. Growing up it was a fabulous experience and mom thinks she was a better mother to me than for the others. She says she was far more relaxed about bed times, temper tantrums etc. Plus all of her contemporaries were thrilled to have a baby to hold again, so I got a lot of in-arms time.

I have two sisters and a brother and I'm pretty close with them, given they are all over 1,000 miles away. My sisters have children around the age of mine, so we have 5 under 5 now! We have a lot in common. My mom wasn't exactly a soccer mom, but she did give up smoking when I was 5 and she couldn't pull me and the sled up the hill. Sure, she probably had less energy, but she also had more help, unlike when she had 3 children in 5 years. I think it was a fine experience, she had a lot of life knowledge to pass on. Comparative religions for example was something she knew a lot about and was able to talk to me about those things. Mom is 76 now and still going strong.
post #14 of 46
1/31/05 at 2:36pm
I really want another one as well. For many reasons. I will be forty next year, but I'm still very healthy. I most likely will talk DH into it.
post #15 of 46
2/1/05 at 9:59pm
My kids are 12, 10, 7 and our new little bundle o' joy is 3 months-old. The big kids are so wonderful with their new little sister. The other day the 7yo said "Eve is the best thing that has ever happened to me!" And I know my husband and I are more relaxed parents this time around. We realize how fast it all goes by. I say go for it!
post #16 of 46
2/4/05 at 5:12am
Well, I'd have to say, no you are not crazy. I am pregnant with #5 and my oldest two are almost 15 and 10. I know many large families and the teens really adore their small siblings. I think it teaches them so much about love, kindness, sharing, responsibility. I mean, why get them a hamster, when they can have a baby? LOL. My two oldest are girls and are already fighting over who will be holding the baby more, etc. etc. Although, I do know from experience that will wear off quicklly enough!


Good luck with whatever decision you make!
post #17 of 46
2/4/05 at 9:37am
Thread Starter 
It is so nice to read all of your responses, what nice kids you all seem to have. I've started talking to my DH about it, he may be a hard sell. He went to the doctor yesterday due to some back pain and also asked him about a recommendation on a doc. for a vasectomy. I knew he was going to ask while he was there, so it wasn't a surprise to me. We've talked about that for a while now. I swear until last week or so, I didn't want any more children. I was happy as things were. Now I'm just not so sure. I know this isn't a crazy idea, I don't know why I put that in my thread topic title. I think this is just a very natural maternal reaction to several factors one especially being how independent my boys are becoming. Perhaps my change in view point has been as a result of all the nice stories you all have shared.
post #18 of 46
2/4/05 at 12:05pm
My oldest is almost 12, middle is almost 10...and the baby will be 1 a week from today. It was NOT how I planned things, as things were getting so much easier.

BUT...things aren't as hard with a little one as I remember niether. Partly because of how relaxed my parenting style has become, partly because the older ones ARE a big help (I can shower whenever I want to, always someone there to keep an eye on him! :LOL )

I just wonder if the change of heart is BECAUSE of the finality your DH is putting on it? I've never been a baby person, was perfectly content with my older two. The baby was an OOPSIE!, but now that he's not so much a baby anymore, and I had my tubes tied...I'm feeling a tiny "pang" that he IS my last. KWIM?
post #19 of 46
2/4/05 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
That may well be one of the maternal factors I was speaking of, it was something on my mind.
post #20 of 46
2/5/05 at 2:07am
I have one boy 13 yrs and one who is 2. It is a lot of fun for both of them. It's great to see them together, and to have a helping hand too - big brother is proud of his childcare skills and how much help he is to me. It does take purposeful concentration by both parents to make sure the older one gets the kind of attention he needs. I have a lot of support from dh on that. I wouldn't change a thing and in fact we may have another in a year or two!

But I think most of us feel a pang when we come to the end of our babymaking years... I know my sis has bad babylust and says it's a darn good thing she had her tubes tied because she knows realistically three children are enough for her. It's that female biological drive, I think. So she tells ME to have more kids instead!! :LOL
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