Among my friends, I am a bit of a rarity. I am only 27 years old and I have had two kids already who are less than two years apart in age. I always knew that family was a priority to me, and although I was passionate about my career as a teacher and worked my butt off to get my Bachelor's and Master's degrees, having kids was my number one goal in life. So far, I've pretty much followed my "plan;" go to college, grad school, marry my high school sweetheart, buy a house, get a job, have babies, and live happily ever after.
My twenties have definitely been a rollercoaster ride, as most are, and life has thrown us some twists and turns that we didn't expect, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Here's why I'm glad that I had two babies in two years by 27 years old:
1. I didn't have any trouble getting pregnant.
A woman’s twenties are the most physically ideal time to have a baby. As we get older, miscarriage rates, probabilities of birth defects, and inability to conceive increases, which is a simple scientific reason to have kids young! Now that's not to say that a woman of any age could have trouble getting pregnant, because each situation is different, but I wanted the odds in my favor on this one. I also had a fairly easy pregnancy the first time, which made me ready and excited to get pregnant again so soon.
2. I have an excuse to stay in on the weekends.
Kind of kidding, kind of not on this one! By the time college was over, I was seriously ready to settle down. I had already experienced my share of bars, late nights out, spur-of-the-moment trips and frivolous shopping sprees. By the time I was married, had a house of my own and two fur babies, I was definitely ready to have babies. It just felt right. My friends who are still enjoying their child-less twenties may not understand why I'd rather stay in on a Friday night and watch "Curious George" than go out to a bar, but they love me regardless; and I love that when I need a girl's night out or a date night with my husband and need a break from motherhood, the bars will be there.
3. I can focus on my career when my kids are in school.
This is a big one for me. I always planned on getting a great job before having kids, but when it turned out that it might take longer than I thought to land that job, I decided I didn't want to wait and put my family on hold for a career. By the time you graduate from college, and potentially go on to grad school, get established in a career that is ok with you taking time off to have children, you may already be in your 30's. For me, that was too long to wait. This way, I can start my career when my kids are a little older and not have to put it on hold. This is also great because I currently stay home with my kids (it didn't make sense for me to go back with my salary to send two babies to daycare). It was the best decision I ever made, and now I can have my dream career by my mid 30's and still retire young!
4. I am young and still have energy to roll on the floor and play with my toddler!
That's not to say that I'm not still exhausted from lack of sleep or that my knees don't sometimes hurt from playing with my toddler on the floor, but as each year goes by, the older we become, and I'm glad that I still have the energy of my twenties to carry me through these toddler years! Also, my husband and I still want to get out there and do things, and just because we have kids doesn't mean that we should have to hold ourselves back. We may not be as willing to do so if we were older and less energetic.
5. My husband and I can enjoy time together when our kids are older and we're still young.
I look forward to taking child-less vacations someday while we are still younger and I may look half-way decent in a bikini! Not to mention, our parents will have the opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren while they're still young. Also, that time will be so much more rewarding when we can look back on these years and think of how hard we worked together to build a life and a family while we were young. There is something so special about growing up together, and then growing old together.
6. Having kids close in age has been our best adventure!
Once you have one baby while you're young, you might as well add another to the mix! We always knew we wanted more than one child and figured since we were already in the trenches, we were ready to have our second, who arrived just 13 months after our first! One of the greatest things about having kids close together is that you probably don't need to buy any new baby stuff, and you probably still have that baby stuff out in your house! You are used to the baby lifestyle as well, which may include lack of sleep, lack of time for yourself, lack of hygiene, lack of quiet, and lack of alone time with your spouse, but at least you're used to it!
For me, having a second baby was easier than the first, and in a way added a craziness to our lives that made us a bit more easy going. Not to mention the life-long bond that my son and daughter will share. Once you are able to master the art of multitasking, gain more confidence and get beyond the two under two learning curve, you will find life is joyful and always entertaining with two babies.
Having two kids in two years in my twenties has been the most amazing, crazy, unbelievable journey I've taken yet, and has its challenges and rewards each day. If you decide to settle down and have kids young too, be prepared to answer the question, "Was it planned?", be prepared to devote your life completely to your kids, including your sleep, time, and energy, and be prepared to feel the most love you've every felt in your life, because it's completely worth it.
For more words of wisdom from a stay-at-home mom of two babies, follow my Facebook page, "Better with Babies" or blog at www.betterwithbabies.com.
