A recent conversation gave me cause to really think about this question. We currently have our two grandkids with us and at the age of fifty-four, both Jeff and I would agree, now is not the time to have little ones. This could be because there are toys on the living room floor, or juice stains on the carpet, or for the simple reason that as soon as they close their eyes, we can’t wait to do the same.
The reality is kids are only kids for a very short time. It’s a fraction of your life. And of that fraction of time, they are only really cute for about the first six years. After that, it’s a crap shoot.
What we fail to realize is that our kids are adults for a much longer period of time. I recall looking at our first just after he was placed in my arms and thinking, “I can’t wait for you to be twenty, so we can have really good talks.” From the very beginning, I saw my kids as who they would become.
Raising kids to be interesting adults, who are engaged in life with imaginations and interests and friendships and conversation and knowledge and drive and ambition and are people you just want to hang out with, starts shortly after they are born. It requires us to become part of their world instead of forcing them to live within ours. It requires love, guidance, freedom and most importantly being examples of adults who are imaginative, interesting, with a variety of friendships, conversationalist, knowledgeable with drive and ambition.
When to have kids? Whenever you want! But don’t wait too long because, the kid part is gone in a blink. The adult part lasts the rest of your life, and when done well, you won’t want to miss a day of it.