If you knew then what you know now

[milliebfit]

Originally Posted by Liliarose

I had my son when I was 16 and raised him mostly as a single mother and it was tough. I had my tubes tied at 28 because I never wanted to have more. I was single at the time and thought there was no way I would ever do it again. Had I been older and married when I had my son, I'm sure it would have been different. My son had it rough and now he is 28 and doesn't want or like children. Im afraid that he felt it was so difficult raising him that it has scared him. I recently married (after all this time) a wonderfull man who also had kids too young (age 20) and he felt the same way but now we are getting ready to become foster parents to my 16 year old nephew who lost his parents. We are not thrilled about it but we feel that we are the most willing and qualified in the family and we feel that now that we are older and more mature we are very ready to take on this task. It also helps that I went back to school after my son turned 18 and I now work as a social worker with children who suffer from mental illness.

Bless you! Bless you! Your nephew is so blessed to have you.

[tiggywink]

Absolutely would do it all over again without a moment's hesitation. The good, the bad the ugly. ALL of it. I didn't have DS until I was 38 (married at 36) and I'm pregnant with #2. I wish I had met DH sooner and had babies sooner, but it doesn't work that way--it wouldn't have been the son we have now, and he has been well worth the wait.

[irishmom]

Originally Posted by beth ann

My three kids are the light of my life and a "life-sucking" force at the same time

Truer words have never been spoken!...LOL

[Inthesierras]

Yes I would do it all over again. I have a little girl with autism, and even though we have some rough days, and I mean ROUGH days, her unconditional love has made me a better person. I have a sweet little boy who is just wonderful. He is almost 5 and his sense of compassion for his big sister is amazing. If I could choose for our family not to have this heartache, I would in a heartbeat, but that's in the cards.

[Pikantari]

I was twenty when I had my son, 22 when i had my daughter. there were hard times, but i would not change it.

I have different health problems now, I am only 33. If I were to have started now, it would kill me. In a literal sense.

Someone else said that it made her the person she is.... it has done the same with me.

It has actually changed my outlook on family, bonding, etc. I grew up in a family who did not know love, but the minute I laid eyes on my baby boy, I knew true love, and I will never forget it, never. It was the best thing that ever happened in my life.

After that time I was able to tell my Mom I loved her, and my brothers and sisters as well. We all continue it now that mom has passed. I didn't know how to tell my father. I never knew it as a child, and I never outwardly told him I loved him, not even on his dying day, until after he died. It was always a given, I think, but we just didn't show it.

My kids hear it all the time, and the best thing in the world to me is, I hear it back from them

I am a proud Mom. I love my babies...but they're getting so dag on grown up now.

[JenM]

I would have postponed until I was a little older. I have 3 kids, 6,4, and 8 months. I had my first at 22; I am now 28. I am still in college trying to finish! But other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!