A Hundred Kids Sitting in The Backseat
No room in the car... too many carseats
How many children do you plan on having?
Are you planning on having more children?
I was recently asked if I planned on having anymore children. With an exasperated look on my face I promptly replied “No!” After all, I couldn’t even imagine it possible to have another child. I have three all ready, and with that, my hands are full and my bank account is empty. Adding one more to the mix not only seems to be a stupid idea, but one that is far from being feasible.
Now I do realize there are plenty of people out there that have more than three kids. It isn’t that it is impossible; it just isn’t for me. However, I will admit, when I see a newborn baby I get all googley eyed. I am a woman of child-bearing years. It is only natural. It is however nice to hand the baby back to the lucky mother when I am done holding the child.
I grew up in a family with four children. I don’t remember it being a necessity to own a van or a big SUV. Yet, nowadays, if you have four kids, you wouldn’t be able to fit into a normal car. A small or medium sized car is no longer a family option. There isn’t enough room, especially with all those car seats you will be packing.
The only time I remember car seats was when my little sisters where born. In fact, those car seats where loaned to my parents from the hospital. It wasn’t a necessity to buy one. And once they outgrew those car seats, I don’t remember them being put in another. As far as my memory goes, we just had a bunch of kids slammed into the backseat of a car.
Now, if you take in consideration I was young at the time, maybe my memory is a little warped. But I do know we hardly ever wore seatbelts. After all, there was 4 kids in the backseat. We were probably more secure in that backseat from being squished than any seatbelt that restrains a child today. Today, not wearing a seatbelt is not even an option. Not having your child in a seatbelt is illegal.
So, when I am asked if I want one more, I think about how times have changed. It doesn’t seem to be the norm anymore to have bigger families. People are keying down. Is this attributed to how fast paced society has gotten? Or is it more to do with the size of cars and how car seats fit?
For me, it is a matter of personal preference. I don’t enjoy driving huge vehicles, therefore, the cars I drive will only fit a family of 5 - max. So, while it may sound stupid, I don’t want any more children because I don’t want to give up the vehicles that I like to drive!
