Top 5 Reasons Not to Wait to Have Children in Your Thirties

I have to issue a warning that I have not slept well this week, which may somewhat color the following statements. Maybe just a tiny, teensy bit.

Having children is a wonderful part of life, and it is certainly a serious endeavor. One might think you ought to wait until you are older to have children for a variety of legitimate reasons. In my case, I was concerned about getting married first (which took me a while), having a willing partner (which took him a while), and achieving financial stability (which took us a while). These seemed to be appropriate concerns yet in the meantime something happened... we got old! Seriously. I haven't pulled an all nighter in well over 10 years, and back then I had two very handy assistants- nicotine and caffeine. I haven't smoked in over 5 years, and I can't drink caffeine past sundown. Why you might ask? Because I am old and way too tired to stay up all night or to even stay up late and get up early. Also, my back hurts. I know this is whiney and pathetic, but it is true. There are other similarly pathetic reasons, which shall be summarized as follows:

Top 5 Reasons Not to Wait to Have Children in Your Thirties
1. Staying up all night hurts
2. Hunching over tiny babies to clean them, diaper them, etc. hurts
3. Finding enough energy to get through the day is a challenge
4. Finding enough energy to stay alive long enough to get said kids through high school will be a challenge
5. You may wish to retire someday but instead will be working double shifts as a Walmart greeter to pay for your kid's dorm room

Seriously now, I am convinced that having kids in your twenties is easier, but this could be a "grass is greener" phenomenon. Anyway, I love my kid more than I ever could have imagined and somehow I find energy to be present for her that I never thought I had. I've said it before and I'll say it again, SHE IS DELIGHTFUL. She really is. The true, best reason to not wait to have kids until you are in your thirties is because the sooner you have them, the sooner you get to love them.

We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.
Ralph Waldo Emerson