We're Raising Four Kids in a Two Kid World

Experts urge women to limit the number of kids they have to two or less, citing the economic, personal, professional and environmental toll of child-rearing. As a mother of four, I can only smile at these warnings. In early 2010, we decided to have a third child. Nine months later, our two sons were blessed with a beautiful sister – and a handsome brother. Although we have excellent jobs – my husband is a communications engineer with the Canadian Forces, and I am a teacher – our monthly daycare costs would have exceeded my paycheque. So after my Employment Insurance benefits ended in September, I became a stay-at-home mother.

I had considered going back to work to contribute to my pension and advance my career, but that idea was soon squashed. In July, 2010, mid-pregnancy, our military family was posted from Ottawa to Edmonton when my husband accepted a two-year command position. Our parents and extended families live in Ontario and New Brunswick. So, this Ontario girl and her Maritime husband headed west with half the income, double the kids and no support. When the twins arrived in the fall, we spent thousands of dollars just to cope. We bought a minivan. We purchased a new crib, playpen and highchair. Our RESP investment doubled. We bought a triple stroller for our twins and young toddler to ride in. It takes a lot of shoving to fit this monster stroller in our van, and its enormous size commands attention.

As a shy person, I was horrified by that attention. I am often photographed by tourists and approached by strangers. People asked, “Did you do fertility treatments?” When I said no, one person responded with, “So, this was on purpose?” Another man educated me on my carbon footprint: “Your overactive uterus is causing overpopulation.”

Read the rest here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/parenting-facts-and-a...