To ask you honestly would you have had children again?

[Behonestplease]

If you could live your life over, would you have more children, less children, no children?

Personally I don't have any (age 32) and I don't see that changing due to health issues (pcos) and lack of a man!!!

Mwah ha ha ha haaaaaaa!

I'm now 50 with a 9 year old (adopted) having broken up with exP at 33 and severe PCOS. SO never say never - mind you you can accidentally adopt so to be fair I did actually plan it!

I'd have had 2 given the choice but health (and now age) prohibited it

Yes I would without a shadow of a doubt. I have five, if time and money were unlimited I'd have had at least one more. I wouldn't marry and have the dc with my dh though.

Morecrack I think there are a lot of advantages to women in having children relatively early. The operation director where I work is about the same age as me, her children are grown up.I had kids at 30 and my career stalled as i went part time. She took her first management job at about that age and has gone from strength to strength. She is maybe more talented than me(!), but none of the management jobs in my company were offered to part timers. 21 can be a great age to have a baby.

Yes, I would have. But I would made different decisions about raising them, and listened to other people a lot less.

Thanks Kew!
(shits self about accidentally adopting someone!)

Yes more children and much earlier!

Yes, definitely!
I have 2, would have liked 3 or 4 (too old now)
Somebody said children seem to make lives 'limited and constrained'!
Seriously?
I have found the complete opposite!!

I don't know whether I would. I completely underestimated the devastating impact it would have on the rest of my life and my health. I would have preferred to be a man and carry on my own life the way most men do, just slotting the family in where they can.
I'd also have had them much earlier. I ended up giving birth as my career was really taking off so it has been tough.

I have one, I wanted 3.

Sounds illogical but I'd either have 2-3 or none. I feel like I've only "half" done family and "half" done career which is nice I guess but it wasn't my choice so I feel like I missed the full shot at both.

Then again, I think having one, who will be grown up soon will give me a lot more freedom in my 40s.

Same as witch upthread

(I didn't actually read question properly)
Yes, would have more children.
Love them more than anything else on the planet - I have an excellent career too, but would give it up for my children if I had to choose between kids or or career - no question.

Yes. There's nothing in my life I want to change and if I'd started earlier other things would be different and I wouldn't have the two I have. If we hadn't had fertility problems we would have had three or four. My only regret is not being brave enough to try fir a third because I couldn't face another miscarriage. They are 20 and 17 now so far too late.

I'd like to start over, have them later, when I'm more sorted. And more than one. I know what you mean Aussiemum by feeling like it's only "half" a family. And if we have more children then we'll be stuck with a massive age gap.

We probably will have more in a few years so doing the "original plan" so to speak but DH is adamant on only wanting a maximum of two more. I would have liked three all together (but I don't actually know if I would cope well with that or not!) Well, we'll see :)

For me 20 was a terrible age to have a baby.

I wouldn't change a thing in fact I'd probably have wanted them earlier!

I wanted two, despite our best efforts we ended up with none.
Mid forties now and this is the first decade I haven't been jealous of parents with young children.

I wish i'd waited. I had DS at 15 and DD at 18. Both unplanned contraceptive failure,I had to fight so hard to get where I am now and still its only the beginning (newly qualified) doing 60hr work weeks up until I gave birth with DD and then going back to work when she was 5 weeks old! I'd do it all again though if i had to i can't imagine life without my LO's, I just wish everything had happened 10yrs later than it did! I don't know if another is on the cards though due to my body, we'll see!

Oops you can't accidentally adopt a child!

Although the baby is turning out pretty awesome so maybe I'm doing alright

I would do it again, but start younger. I waited until my mid 30s not realising the implications. All 4 grandparents were in their late 60s by the time I had ds. This meant that not only was GP support limited but more importantly, we have found ourselves in the "sandwich generation" since day 1 of becoming parents. Thus, my Dad and MIL have had significant life limiting illnesses and have both sadly passed away. My Mum and FIL are in reasonable health buy not great. Caring for small dc and seriously ill parents has very nearly brought me to my knees.

But people do adopt and then regret it same as with birth children I think.

Yep and want more! Children don't limit my life, they have opened up my world.. I understand what life is all about. Yes there are some things you can't do with a baby or toddler in tow, but it is still an amazing time so makes up for it.. And the day comes when you can do all those things again, alongside having your kids in your life

If I still got DD, I would definitely have her again, but maybe a little later and do a bit more sightseeing or something with DH. We can't decide if we should have another. If we could do it again, maybe have another one a little earlier so DD would have someone to play with. She's only three so I guess we still have time.

Yes of course they do I didn't say they didn't? Though when it takes 3 years and you can change your mind right up to the point of placement (and in reality afterwards until adoption order) it is easier to get out of if you have cold feet. My second comment was correcting a typo I'd made in my first which didn't make sense as it stands.

I know. :) I was thinking out loud.