Babysitting, and now just sitting

We were parents to two boys today for 4 hours. Well, to be exact, Martin was a "single dad" for the first 2 hours since I didn't come home from work until 8pm, and once I got home "mummy" took over for the last 2 hours... .

The good news is, he survived :o). And so did the boys. I wasn't sure at first on how it'll go when I wasn't around, but I guess as long as he didn't need to feed them, shower them or change diapers, then it was okay (the boys were aged 4 and 2½ years).

For me, I've been "babysitting" since I was 13, so no problem. My first sister, Claudia, was born just 3 days after I turned 13, and my youngest sister, Tania, was born on the year I turned 17. I had gone through pretty much EVERYTHING when it comes to bringing up kids, except being pregnant, giving birth, breastfeeding and being financially committed.

I had helped changed their diapers and nappies, cleaned their butts, gave them baths, dressed them up, sang them to sleep, fed them, played with them, scolded them, potty trained them, watched them grow, taught them, etc, etc, etc. Not just once, mind you, but twice over, since it was pretty much the same cycle and routines with my youngest sister.

They are wonderful teenagers now, my sisters. Funny how the first one is soon 17, and the youngest is 13 - the very ages I was when each of them came into my life. My whole teenage years, I was like a "second mother" to them, since as the oldest sister, it naturally became my responsibility to help my mum take care of them... .

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the experience and would never give it up, even though sometimes it could be trying. It is amazing to see them grow to become who they are now from the very first day they entered this world. However, it also allowed me to know that being a parent involves a LOT of time and sacrifice of all sorts; not just when they're children, but also when they are teenagers, you'll have to deal with them a whole different way!

This is mainly why I am not planning to have kids right now, if ever at all (besides the fact that petrol prices are still sky high ;o)). I'm just SO not ready for my own, and besides, I had pretty much been through it all already...twice.

People say that "Oh, but it's different when it's your own child," to which I say "Yes, that's true. The difference is that you'll have to be more committed, sacrifice more and be more involved in their lives if they are your own kids." I'm therefore all the more not ready for that right now, even though the joys of being a parent can no doubt be tremendous.

I do like kids, though, and do get along very well with them, but it's always great when at the end of the day, they go back to their rightful parents ;o). Suits me just fine.

It is therefore good for me that Martin is not ready to be a parent yet either. It's important that both partners agree on something like that, because it IS a big deal. The "pressure" can be hard sometimes, especially since I know at least 12 friends/acquaintances/colleagues/Yellow Goddess who have already given birth this year, or are due to give birth this year. That's a LOT. And there's still the possibility of hearing about more pregnancies! But as long as husband and wife are agreeing, then it makes it easier to stand your ground.

So no....we're not going to add to that number this year (hopefully not the next few years either)... . Abstinence is a good way of birth control indeed... . Hey! Just kidding ;o). I'm not so bad to Martin, okay?

Anyway, when it comes to having our own kid, the only thing I am curious about right now is how our kid will look like... . I mean, ½ Danish + 1/4 Chinese + 1/4 Indian is not a very usual mix, right? I'll be first in line if they ever have a "check-out-how-your-kid-will-look-like" machine somewhere ;o). Any one of you know of the existance of such a machine???