Do you know have many kids you want to have, if any? I find this question so hard to answer. I'm an only child and I've grown to like the dynamic of a small family of three. Sure, there were times growing up where I begged and pleaded for a sibling. To me, a sibling meant an eager playmate, a partner in crime and a confidante ... I even longed to play fight with someone. Now, I appreciate the one-on-one time I have with my parents although there is a little part of me that craves the chaos associated with a large family.
My friend recently went to the funeral of his high school basketball coach. He was a teacher who made a significant impact on those he coached and those he taught. He also had a family of eight children. When asked about his big family, the coach simply said that his one regret in life was to not have more children.
Last year, I walked past a mom with her three kids huddled together on the sidewalk. They were excitedly looking at photos together and it seemed like a moment of pure and easy joy.
I'm always taken back to the basketball coach and the mom on the sidewalk when I try to figure out the right number of kids for me. Right now, my husband, Monkey and me make three, but come this Fall there will be a new addition to our family -- a brother or a sister for Monkey. I've asked him if he'd like a sibling and his answer is: "I want a doggie named Pluto." It's just that simple from his perspective.
I am so ridiculously excited for you. :) This new little one is so lucky already to be arriving into your family... Can't wait to meet them!
ReplyDeleteAnd there's something about the Pluto comment that made me howl... Prob because that's what S said when I asked what was in there; a boy or a girl? Her answer: a puppy! Luckily for me, she was wrong. ;)