I am not sure why people have this cookie-cutter view about how many children a family should have. It's like you're supposed to have one boy and one girl and that's it. And if you mess up and have two of the same gender, then you're really just screwed and should call it quits. If you have three or more, no matter what, people look at you and say, "Wow, you have your hands FULL," and, "Well, you finally got your girl so now you can stop," or my very favorite, "When is Travis getting a vasectomy?" I am tired of those people, and I am through caring what other people think. It's not that we are going to have more kids. We don't even know that if we tried we would get blessed with one. It's just that it is no one's business but our own. When I was younger, I cared what a lot of people thought about me. As I got older, I only cared what my family and close friends thought. Now I can say for certain that I only care what I think, and I will give Travis's opinions equal consideration. The number of kids one chooses to have is just like anything else, I suppose. People have this idea of how things should be: two children, one boy and one girl, house, picket fence, public school, quarterback, cheerleader, college, great career, and the cycle starts all over. And if you stray from that "ideal" at any point people will tell you that you messed up. Or worse, that you are messing your children up.
Wow. All that from a post that started with me saying how happy I am. And I am very, very happy. I sat and watched Elijah play t-ball this evening. After he crossed home plate in the first inning he came out to the stands to give me a hug and tell me he loves me. He is the sweetest, most wonderful boy. I have plans for two raised garden beds for all my fruits and veggies that are currently in containers (all the containers have taken over my front and back porches!). I really want to get the chicken coop thing figured out so we can add that to the backyard as well. I dream of the perfect backyard with several garden areas, a chicken coop and run, a compost area, and a clothesline area. Travis added a giant hammock to the backyard dream. After we get the gardens built in the next week or so, the chickens are the only thing left. Urban homesteading has become very close to my heart in the past months, and I am glad Travis feels the same way so we can give it a solid go. That, and we agreed that I would homeschool Elijah next year and see how it goes for 1st grade. I am just so happy. I feel like I am really living the life I was meant to live.
Here's to 31. May it be the best year yet.
(I thought I would end with some pictures of our day yesterday. That's Ethan's hair in the fuzzy pic with me. He was sitting on my lap but started getting up before the picture took.)
My mom is into homesteading. Of course that was when she was mainly living in the country. Now they split time between springfield and miller.
ReplyDeleteAlso Happy Birthday! I had a bit of a midlife crisis at 30 (hence the jump start on school). Just something about these 30-somethings that really suck. Hope you have a great day.
I think there are so many advantages to homeschooling. I'm actually in the process of looking at how I would homeschool Ivy. Of course this is years away since I still have to get past undergrad and grad school before I would be able to. There is also the whole autism piece and what to do with Avery. The other option would be private school but it can be so expensive. Are you nervous about taking this step? What about Ethan?
I'm not nervous about it. I've always wanted to homeschool, and I've decided that I sholuldn't wait any longer if I really am going to do it. I would love to homeschool Ethan. I don't know about that yet. Right now he gets so much extra therapy at school, he loves his preschool, and his teachers care for him so much. It really depends on how things are going and how I feel when he's ready for Kindergarten in a year or two.
ReplyDeleteHope you love homeschooling. I know how much you will enjoy that special time with him! Enjoyed reading all of this! The homestead stuff is neat too. I would love to do that, but not sure that I have the right personality for it, but love the idea of it. Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteWell keep me posted on the homeschooling. I'd love to know what programs you go with. I can totally understand about Ethan. I think if we continued to have stellar insurance that covers as much as it does now then it would be an option but that's so hard to tell since we're years away from being really settled. It's so hard sometimes know if the choices I make are for the good or bad. I hope that by making them in her best interest I end up doing the right thing.
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