Why I’m Waiting to Have Kids

Meeting a friend’s newborn baby for the first time

Babies. They’re everywhere.

There are sonograms all over Facebook announcing high school friends’ first, second, or even third baby on the way. There are blog posts showing the weekly progress of a blogger’s rapidly growing baby bump. And don’t even get me started on all the adorable little newborn, infant, and toddler faces all up in my Instagram feed.

Now that I am in my late twenties, it seems like half the people I know either have a bun in the oven, or have at least one kid. I’m telling you, babies really are everywhere these days, and so is the pressure to have one! Chris and I are constantly asked by friends, acquaintances, and even strangers “So, when are you two going to start having kids?” Oh, and let’s not forget about the pressure Chris and I get whenever we visit our parents; it seems like ever since we hit the one year wedding anniversary mark, their hints requests desperate pleas for grandchildren have significantly increased. I mean, it’s nice to know that our friends and family want us to procreate, but there is good reason why we’re waiting. Here’s why:

1) I’m unemployed – This one is kind of a no-brainer. In my mind, it takes two to provide. Sure, Chris has a job with a decent salary, so I could just be a stay-at-home mom, right? Nah, that’s not my style. I don’t even want to THINK about having kids until I have a job and can help provide for our future family.

2) I want to get all of my debt paid off first – I’ve recently developed a new big goal to accomplish, and that is to pay off all or most of my debt by the time I turn 30 years old in May 2015. (I plan to blog about this more in-depth in a later post.) Why 30? Because that’s the age I plan to seriously consider starting a family. Kids are expensive, so trying to start a family with a huge chunk of debt sounds like a recipe for lots of financial stress down the road.

3) Chris and I want to travel more – New York. Germany. Ireland. Mexico. These are all big trips we want to take, and hopefully sooner rather than later. I doubt we’ll get all four done by the time we start a family, but I’d like for us to at least check off New York and Mexico!

4) I can’t even keep a plant alive – Either I have no green thumb or I need some serious practice when it comes to taking care of a living thing. My guess is the latter. Chris and I plan to get a dog early next year, so hopefully that will help us get in the practice of taking care of something together.

5) We still want time for just the two of us – Chris and I weren’t together for very long before we got married: we did international long-distance for a year, got engaged, then got married seven months later. As of right now, we’ve barely been together for three years total. I would love another two years of just me and him before we bring some little ones into the picture.

Sure, whenever I see a Facebook friend’s sonogram, an expecting blogger’s baby bumb, or an Instagram pic of a ridiculously cute toddler, part of me gets excited for Chris and I to experience all of that someday. But for now, we’re going to keep waiting and doing what we’re doing, because while we do eventually want to do parenthood, we want to do it right and in the way that’s best for us.

Do you want to have kids someday? If so, why are you waiting?