2. Your older kids' hand-me downs won't embarrass the younger ones. Imagine that you're fetching a box of our older child's outgrown clothes for your younger one to wear. You open the box... and everything is purple and adorned with Barney the Dinosaur! You remember how the older one had a Barney obsession as a toddler, but now Barney is passe... and you don't have spare cash for a new wardrobe and the clothes still have lots of wear left. Your younger child will be too young to adequately protest, but one day, they will make a bonfire of any family photos where they are wearing Barney.
3. Two kids can share clothes. Simplify your clothes-shopping and your laundry by having two children of the same gender 16-months (or so) apart. There will come a point around ages 3 or 4 where they will wear the same size clothes. Each child will need their own coat and shoes, but you'll only have one 'set' of clothes for both. Even if you have a boy and a girl, there are lots of gender-neutral clothes they can share (and stuff like pajamas).
4. Your healthcare providers won't forget you. It's very likely that your favorite doctor will still be practicing at the clinic you go to.... and that the really helpful nurse you know will be there and remember you. All the more if you live in a socialistic country where healthcare is impersonal and bureaucratic. Yes, the OB's office will be your 'Cheers'... that place where everybody knows your name.
5. It's easy to find a nursery school for the younger one. No need to hunt around.... next time you're dropping off the older one at nursery, ask the teacher when she's starting registration for the next year.... done! Maybe ask for a family discount if you have more than one child attending the same program at the same time.
6. It's easy to plan activities. Does your 3-year-old like the gymboree at the mall??? I bet your 2-year-old would like it too. A small toddler will enjoy almost everything a big toddler likes to do. They will play at the same park, watch the same movies and enjoy the same snacks.
7. You'll raise good little socialists. Sharing will be second nature if you start them off early. This is especially true if you only have a 2-bedroom apartment like we do. I'm amazed at how well my older one sleeps with a little scream-y (teething!) toddler 4 feet away. He's used to it already. He's used to taking a bath with his brother and going to the park with his brother and sharing a big bag of Bamba with his brother... it's almost like a mini-kibbutz in our house. (only we don't force the kids to work in the fields or drain swamps)
8. You never leave 'baby mode'. As any mom can tell you, 'baby mode' is a stage in life where you become accustomed to being woken up at night, where you never leave the house without diapers and wipes, where you learn how to do almost anything while simultaneously holding a baby. You are always wiping spit-up or dribbled yogurt (or boogers!) off your purse. You always plan your shopping trips around what can fit under your stroller. Your kitchen is always stocked with cheese sticks, little yogurts and teething crackers. Once you leave 'baby mode' and realize that the night has 8 uninterrupted hours in it, well.... things just aren't the same and it's hard to go back to 'baby mode' again.
9. It's an excuse for a party. There are four magic words that will get your family and friends to drop everything and come to visit you... "We're making a bris". With every new baby, you get an opportunity to invite everyone you know for bagels. People bring you presents. People make you meals. Your mom will come visit and clean your house from top-to-bottom and take your older children to the park and feed them junk food. If it's not a bris (or simchat bat) then it's a birthday party that gives you an excuse to see friends and eat cake. If it's possible, have each child in a different month and your year will be filled with parties, parties and parties.
10. It's almost like having twins. OK, I admit it. I would love to have multiples. I realize that it's a tremendous amount of work (even for twins, let alone more) but multiples are sooooo ridiculously cute to me. The odds are against me for spontaneously conceiving octuplets (or even twins) and that's ok-ish with me. You can *almost* get the same effect by dressing your closely-spaced kids in matching outfits.
I love this!!!! SO TRUE!!!
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