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He's leaving home...
8 March 2007, 07:26
Go ahead… Make my Bubbles
McG left yesterday to embark upon a whirlwind tour of Austin, Texas for the next 2.5 weeks. 18 long sleeps. I was quite melancholy about it yesterday, but am feeling fine today.
I think work will keep me sane. If McG had gone o/s 6 months ago when I wasn’t working and was a bit over being a full-time stay-at-home-mum, I would have been really very anxious. But in some ways I’ve actually been looking forward to him going, not least because I know he’ll have a ball and little Scout and I will be able to have girly chats (does “lalalaladaddaddadasssssssss” mean anything to anybody?) and do the mother-daughter bonding “thang”.
It breaks my heart though when she looks up at me with that adorable smile and asks “Daddaddaddaddad?” I don’t even know for sure that she’s associating Daddaddaddaddad with her father yet, but it squeezes my heart a little. 17 more sleeps!
She’s been walking for a month now and is very confident, although still looks a little like Frankenstein’s monster, the way she walks with her shoulders hunched, arms out in front of her, slightly bent, with a somewhat splayed-toed gait. Amazingly cute though – it cracks us (me – sniff) up every time.
Posted by Kinki on 8 March 2007, 07:26
Permanent Link | - You should have one more child within 12-24 months of the first. It’s sad and lonely to be an only child, and keeps both of them occupied with each other as they mature. It’s also more economical as you can reuse objects. A boy and a girl would be ideal. Speaking from experience, it’s sad to be brought up as an only child.
— david Mar 10, 09:29 PM # - I’m also an only child. While I too remember the longings for a sibling when I was a child, the decision to have more children lies not within the opinions of blog commenters, but within the parents themselves. People’s personal preferences, economic situations, and parental situations all guide their decisions as to how many children to have.
For me, there were a lot of merits in being an only child, in retrospect. I had to be active in making my own friends b/c I didn’t have default sibling friends. I didn’t have to compete with anyone, I related better with adults earlier in life because I had no sibling to talk with, I had a lot of quality time with my family without feeling left out or unfavored.
Imo, their are positives and negatives to having one or several children. I myself would like to have two children, but if I end up with only one, I know that he/she will probably turn out fine too, as I did.
— Rachel Mar 11, 06:22 AM # - I just think the act of having children is of course a sacrifice on behalf of the children. I come from an part-Chinese background (only 5%) however. In Chinese culture, the family is all important. They don’t have the insularity we see in Anglo-Saxon cultures. The grandparents aren’t shuffled off to nurseries. I just guess it’s great for the first child to have a birth playmate. Rivalry, jealousy etc, all these primal emotions can be lived out and played through at an early age. We must learn from the Asian culture in terms of promoting extended generations of family. The grandparents have a role to play, and will be looked after in old age. The more the merrier IMHO.
— david Mar 13, 10:56 PM # - Here comes a random delurk (again). David, nothing is ever as simple as having another child 12-24 months after the first one because some dude on the internet said so. While it is great for young children to have younger siblings to play with/boss around, a lot of times it isn’t feasible to have children one after the other. Blame western civilisation, blame whoever you want, but I find your remarks insensitive.
Kinki, I hope all is going well without McG around, not long till he’s back :). Your picture of bubbly Scout is adorable!
— Sarah Mar 14, 09:39 AM # - Hee hee – as IF I would feel pressured to have another bub because Big Dave said so! It’s a very personal decision to have children, ANY children, but I acknowledge that everyone wants to have their two cents worth.
Thanks for everyone’s support and comments… I do love a good bit of debate.
— Kinki Mar 14, 11:43 AM # - With all due respect Sarah, I wasn’t referring to some “dude on the internet” as regards to have at least 2 children to provide company for future generations. It’s based on more than 100 years of my part-Asian family heritage and experience.
My ancestors, primarily Caucasian, came partly from China during the gold rush. You are are the insensitive one. Learn to mutually respect other cultures, especially Asian ones. Don’t lapse into personal abuse. Anyone can do that.
— david Mar 21, 02:23 AM # - David, you were the “dude on the internet” I was referring to! All I was saying is that there are far more factors at play when a woman decides to have a child and subsequent children, factors far too lengthy and obvious to enter into here. Ultimately, it is, as Kinki says, a very personal decision.
I have no problem or issue with your background or your ancestry, just the assumption that women should pump out babies within a given time period. For a lot of women, it’s much harder than that.
— Sarah Mar 22, 02:28 PM # - Yes I agree with you Sarah. It’s not easy to build a family these days. As my elderly mother often says, “I would hate to be young and raising children these days.” I was raised in the 1970s when only one parent needed to work, the mother could be free to raise children and/or return to the workforce, and one salary was sufficient to own a home outright within 10 yrs. My father chose wisely in an inner-city bayside suburb which has appreciated exponentially…My older brother studied at uni in the 70s for free and was paid to do so (receiving the TEAS)! I do agree there is such a heavy financial pressure and burden on families these days, both parents must work, and we will never return to the halcyon days of the 70s. The economic system is becoming more unjust and unfair! Can we ever wind back the clock to the time when one wage was enough to support a family and own a home?
— david Mar 22, 09:37 PM #
