Dads with one or two kids, I need advice/ persuasion either way. I’m seriously torn on having a second. We have one, they’re almost two, and a handful. The main appreciations I have are relationship strain with my wife over the added stress of number two combined with the reduced flexibility, at least in the near term, for us to individually or jointly do things for ourselves and each other. We both love kids and have always said we wanted multiple.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

It's very hard, but for me was made possibly more difficult by a 4 year age gap and reset. As others have said, do it now. They will engage in play together closer and you will lessen the reset time. It will be a tough haul for 2-3years though.

likesmart

Biggest benefit I see from having 2 is how they interact with each other. It is a true joy watching them play together. We have to play UN every here and there but they are getting better by the month. We love that dynamic.

like

Have 2 girls 3.5 and 11 mos. Same advise as many. So it now, or never. Scheduling is tricky (try to have a routine), daycare is expensive (our largest single expense monthly), and family/help close by makes a big difference make sure they're able and willing), know that it is all temporary in the short term with long term rewards.
Ultimately we went for 2 so they could grow up to be friends and entertain each other. I have lots of FOMO about things we could be doing without kids or with just 1, but I can already feel things getting "easier"

helpful

Father of a 3 and 6 year old here. Honestly biggest difficulty/strain is scheduling. One in daycare one in school becomes one in daycare and and one in camp.. multiple drop offs and pickups. IF you have help in the area or can hire some makes it a LOT easier. That said, as they become more self sufficient becomes a lot easier.

like

What are your outsourcing? We have a monthly cleaner and daycare. Not a lot of family/ help other than that

Basically it's short term craziness but with long term awesomeness! I'm glad we had our second.. both my boys (8 & 4 now) get along very well, most of the time! 😃 They are both very different but that's half the fun!
Don't get me wrong... It's tough but once the second kid starts school things all even out... It's a very personal decision but for us, it was something me and the wife really wanted..
One thing you really have to consider is finances.. got to get yourself used to the fact that disposable income is gonna be substantially reduced if you do decide to have a second

uplifting

What are the biggest financial surprises you had? Obviously have the additional childcare/ education expenses and basic living cost. Anything else?

Dad x3 here, not sure what your relationships dynamics are, if both work or 1? At any rate if you’re planning to have more than 1 do it NOW, trust me in a few years you’ll have part of you time back as they grow but if you have big gaps you’ll restart the process again in a few years.

Both work and agree. It’s basically now or never

Agree with SD, scheduling is a big thing. SO and I were sitting down talking through the schedule for out 2 little ones and the worker turned to us and said you all are good birth control, would want to deal with all that planning.

1 is fun, 2 can be really fun, but every child is different so you don't know if they'll be chill, crazy energetic or other.

Also Childcare expenses are horrible, especially if no family to get cheaper "timeoff"

Really glad we took the plunge and had 2nd.

It will all work out.

It’s hard when they’re little but that goes by so fast… before you know it

Father of 2 under 2. It’s hard…very hard. The only thing that would ever change my calculus on having 2 or more kids is whether or not 1) we have or can get help 2) we can afford help whether it be nanny or day care.

This includes paying for babysitting for date nights and help for overnight weekends so we can’t take a night or two away from the kids.

If I was in your position, I’d probably go to couples therapy to improve your current relationship before you make this big decision.

Yea what D2 said. We’re in a good spot but the first kid definitely affected her mental health for a little while which was stressful for all of us.

This sounds basically like my exact scenario. Throw in that we will likely have to do IVF which was a nightmare for my wife the last time… and I’m leaning toward no to a second. I grew up with 2 siblings and conceptually like the idea since I’m close-ish with mine. My wife is not with hers and never really was so she’s sort of the counterpoint that sometimes siblings don’t get along super well long term.

I don’t know though. I adore my kid so much. Maybe a second would also be amazing. I go back and forth a lot right now.

Honestly right now I feel like my wife and I haven’t had any time to ourselves to even just have a deeper discussion about this. We really need a couple days. But no fam nearby to take care of the kid and she has a condition where we aren’t comfortable with overnight care by someone soooo making it tough to get mental space.

Highly would recommend looking into having an AuPair if you don’t have help around. They’d need their own room and guidance (initially). But it’s an extra hand around. Ours has been a huge help after having our second child. Drop off, pick up, play dates and park time all outsourced for around 400/week (200/week to AuPair / additional 10k annual fee)

SA2

If you don’t mind me asking where do you live? $200 or $400 a week for AuPair sounds too little.

The 1st kid is always for the parents (you and your partner).

The 2nd is for the 1st to grow up with.

If you and your partner are OK with your current child growing up alone without a sibling / siblings, then you have your answer.

If not, then you and your partner need to make it work.

Nobody said parenting is easy and alot of people have a kid just to check the box.

Related Posts

My brother is going through some really intense chemo so him and his wife are often recovering at their house for a week without going out.

Since they can’t take any visitors I would love to send them some sort of at home activity kit (wine tasting or anything!) to keep them busy during these lockdown weeks.

Please share any suggestions you have below! No limits in terms of activity or budget. I have about 8-9 weeks that I plans to cover.

Thank you!

like

What is KPMG's parental leave policy for partners versus employees (MDs and below)? Trying to plan life and figure out if it makes a difference to have a child before or after one makes partner in terms of parental leave benefits. Thanks!

like

I’m leaving for a vacation and packing my bags. This little guy won’t leave my side knowing I’m packing a suitcase. It’s breaking my heart.

Post Photo
like

Tis the season...
Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with NOAA?

Post Photo
like

I love my SO. We’ve been together for nearly a decade and are talking marriage. I know being with him though will require living far from my family. I love my family and dread the thought of being far from them. My SO has been transparent about wanting to return to his home country. I don’t want to lose him but I also dread being far from my family. What’s the right call here? Fwiw he’s lived in my home country for about a decade now but has been able to visit his pretty easily (cont)

like

My SO is an alcohol abuser but has said he knows it’s a problem and would like to cut back or quit. Any suggestions or advice in how to help and cope with this. He becomes a different person when he drinks. I want to support him but don’t know how or where to start.

like

Has anyone actually found love at work? My best friend started at a new company 6 months ago and she just took an offer somewhere else because she and her senior manager fell for each other. After 6 months she knew it was worth leaving her job for! I've been working at the same place for three years and I went on one date with a guy who didn't even work with me he just worked in the building. What am I doing wrong.

like

Has anyone used Productboard with Jira? I’m specifically looking to understand how you manage epics within the Jira backlog. Currently our backlog contains the child issues for each epic

like

I just started a new job and am about to be 36. I want to start a family but I feel like I should be waiting due to this new job. However I don’t want to miss out. I’m thinking about freezing my eggs

like

Hey guys… I’m a case worker in child safety and I’m someone who loves being outdoors/dies at a desk all day. I’m hoping to organise that at least once a week I can go to a cafe and catch up on all my case notes that need to go into the system.
So far the only reason I’ve been told no is that “if you do then everyone will want to and then no one will be in the office” … how can I convince them that I work better out of the office and get this freedom & mental break for myself?

like

Since the firms have improved their benefits for parents/child care, don't you wish that they also provided some benefits for single and ready to mingle employees?

likefunny

I made a joke about my ex getting hit by a car
2 weeks later it actually happened
To be honest, I don't really care

likefunny

How normal is it to be pulled off a trial team because you tell your boss you are moving after trial? I have a trial coming up first week of Oct. This case has been my baby, and I’m going to try it with my boss. I tell my boss up front that, for family reasons, I’ve gotten a new job and will be moving to another city two weeks after trial will likely end. He then gives my trial witnesses to another attorney, but is still going to make me do grunt work. Is he unreasonable or am I?

like

Anyone here want to be a friend can ping me..

like

Hi All,

My H1B is set to expire in Aug 2022, my employer is filing my extension, assuming I will get it till aug 2025 and I need to go to stamping.Parent is sick, needs to undergo a surgery. I want to go to India, to be with her during this time. My question here is if I go for visa stamping will I get stamping till Aug 2022 or aug 2025?
If I get stamping till Aug 2025, Can I come back before aug 2022 without any issue?
If I get stamping till Aug 2022, will there be any issues at port of entry

like

I thought that the occasional visits from the recently divorced single mother that moved in down the hall was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was wrong, getting that mouse jiggler is the best thing that ever happened to me.

funnylike

What is your agency’s maternity or paternity leave policy?

like

She loves blankets doesn’t care it is 90 plus she will burrow. At night she is under the covers on my leg breathing heavy lol

Post Photo
likefunny

Getting ready to quit and I’m scared as heck!! But I feel like it’s now or never to follow my dream of taking a gap year to backpack the world!! Dealt with a lot of pushback and concern but this is it

like

Has anyone here been in a situation where following up to the wedding was a lot of stress and fighting, but after you got married things became better?

like

More Posts

Would a full time copywriter salary be higher for client side vs. agency side? Debating with a couple friends on it. Some say same. Some say lower at each. NYC. I know there are variables but...

like

Note to writers: the phrases are “centers/ centered on” and “revolves around.”
You cannot “center around” something.

Post Photo
likesmartfunny

Does your art partner contribute to visual descriptions when you’re working on scripts?

like

Need help!!

Since the working hours are from 12-9pm in
TIAA does it get stretched more than that?
Do we need to work on weekends?
Ive heard alot of micromanagement is present by managers is it true?

Tiaa global business services TIAA Bank

The House of the Dragon finale was SO good! I’m so glad they were able to redeem the franchise. What other show deserves to make a comeback like that?

like

Thoughts on CIP and it’s note taking structure? Have you deviated from it or should one not break what’s not broken?

like
like

I’m a new manager at Deloitte. Just joined the firm. My scatter plot is a green dot in the upper right corner. I’m green right in the middle of a bunch of greys. Is this good or average? Just seems all the people are in that same box so can’t tell

Post Photo
like

I’m thinking about moving up to a high school English position from 8th grade English. Mainly I’m looking for a change. Any thoughts on the differences I’d be facing?

I have high school children of my own, but disciplining high schoolers has always intimidated me for some reason. I have excellent classroom management, but I feel like high schoolers are a little smarter ab getting around rules and less worried about consequences.

I’m told by an hs tchr that the grading load is ab the same.

like

Best advice when entering the world of SAP.

How y’all are planning to enjoy your long weekend?

like

What should a commercial claims account manager be making as a salary ? Handles asbestos claims only. Works for a TPA handling claims for 4 carriers. Law degree with many years trial experience as in house ID but for personal lines. This is first job handling commercial claims

like

How do I go from SDR/BDR to being a Sales Engineer?

like

Just a floofy boy, watching the leaves fall

Post Photo
like

Hi Fishes, I am ready to resign from my current organisation and I was wondering if I need to discuss this with my reporting manager first. I have never talked to my reporting manager , do I need to discuss with him before I resign or I should just do it in the portal directly.

like

Hi Fishes, need your guidance. I am having below offers. Please help me to decide.

Publicis Sapient - 16LPA + PWFH
Valuelabs - 18LPA + PWFH

I want to know in terms of Brand value, WLB, career growth, learning opportunity & job security.

*Also is it safe to join service based company with such a high package in respect to my YOE?

My Info:
YOE - 2.3Yrs
CCTC - 7.25LPA
Techstack - Frontend Development (React) College - Tier-3

likeuplifting

How is Publics Sapient for Java related projects??
Tell me in terms of Work life Balance
Learning Opportunities
Job Security

like

Hey fishbowls which is the better company to join ?? Trantor or Puresoftware?

like

Who else is constantly given briefs with influencers baked in as a key component of the solution?

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal