Why I Won't Have a Third Kid

When I tell people that I don't want to have another kid, they look at me like I've just said the most foul thing ever. But to me, I am being mature and thoughtful enough to know mine and my families limitations to be proactive in what we define as good parenting. So here's my list as to why I won't have another kid.

Time

Listen, if you know anything about parenting, then you know how much of an commitment it is. When you have one child, you have the absolute ability to obsess over their every move. You and your spouse are able to be pulled in the same direction, watching them learn every little thing as a team. Also the pace is slow because that baby has so much focus on them.

When you have another, you have all this joy in seeing another personality that you created come into this world, give your first born a play-mate, and feel more experienced as a mom, but now you have to split up your time. You can visibly see how much time devoted to your first is reduced and how you could never possibly give the second the undivided attention the first once had. So I cannot possibly fathom pulling more time away from both of them.

Logistics

Probably the most important to me is having the perfect number in our family! By myself I have enough hands, and together, my spouse and I can each give our attention to solely one kid. I take one and you take one. If we had another, we would be outnumbered. And that is not where we want to stand.

That also means that traveling is perfect. The four of us will forever fit perfect in a hotel room, our truck, and roller coaster rides.

Money

Let's be honest, money is a big factor in having kids. Because those little buggers are so darn expensive. They are a life-long investment with no tangible return starting before they even take their first breath. Having another kid means having more doctors bills, more mouths to feed, more adorable clothes to buy, more eventual car payments and college tuition, and much, much, much more when you put it into perspective.

So no, I don't want another kid. I have the most two perfect kids that I can spend more time, energy, and money on than I would ever be able to with having another one. And I'm not saying that it is wrong for other families to have more than one, or even just stick to one. The right number is different for each and every different family. Mine just happens to be a solid family of four.