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?

I have a 2 year old and a 4 week old and I'm still living the sleepless nights and terrible twos and would do it all again in a heartbeat

Yes. Hopefully, I'm not done yet. My dd has enriched my life beyond all understanding. I love being a mum.

It was bloody hard, frankly its nearly broken me mentally and emotionally and my dd is only 2 but I'd do it again for her. Only one though! I love having one and wont be having any more. Wouldnt have any more in any life

Yes I would have the same number of children and hopefully the same two children. They are adults now and have turned out just fine.

However I was in no way prepared for exactly what I was taking on and they were relatively easy children with no major issues. I now realise that you never stop worrying about them. It's not 24/7, but I imagine there will be difficult moments in their lives when I worry and want to step in and make it all right for them. This will never stop. To be honest I could have done without that aspect of having children, but the good does out way the bad.

100% yes! I'd have started earlier and had more. My DC is the joy of my lifetime.

I think i regret pretty much every decision i have made in my life. Not the having children part (2 so far) but when i had them. I would have liked to have been married to someone different and started at 27. I'm 38 now and have high needs young dc. If id had known i may have not had them - so I'm glad i didn't know.

I have hated every job ive ever had, so the option to enjoy a career and not have dc but have a fulfilled life wasn't there. All my own doing of course. I just fucked everything up from 10-35! Starting to make better decisions now, but for a lot of things its too late. I feel i have wasted my life. I do adore my children of course.

Yes. Just yes. Life now has a meaning for me (however lived) that it previously lacked.
PS DD2 is 10 days old so maybe this is hormones talking and I should answer again in 2 years or so.

Oh and I'm 44. Might have been better to have had them earlier but I did a lot in my 20s and 30s so don't feel I'm missing out.

aaww resispa Congratulations!

I had my first at 18. Unplanned. I'd of had them much later like I had planned and been a lot more careful with contraception. I'd of had them about 30-35. Gone travelling, backpacking for at least a year.which we never got to. Would probably have had two.

Love the bones of them, glad I had them in my mid thirties (I have two literally one after the other ) as it takes away so much of your old life and I worried I wouldn't meet someone and have children.

I don't want more though. Only starting to get my life back finally.

Love the DS I have; would love to be able to have more but it's probably not going to happen. In my ideal world I'd have a set of twins as well. Having a child was the single best thing I've ever done though. Hardest too, obviously.

I'd have more and younger too. There's a huge age gap between my 1st and 2nd. I wish their ages were closer together as now I have 2 adults and a bunch of primary school age children and they live very separate lives which is sad.

If i had my life over I would hopefully have the same outcome.

I actually cried (not something I'm known for) after the birth of my first as I felt so overwhelmed that I could have given/received such unconditional love at least 10 years earlier.

But 'people are people' and circumstances are so so different for everybody. I accepted that the two wonderful little beings that have become such an important part of my life are actually the reason I am now so content in myself. I feel so lucky to be their mother and look forward to everything (good and bad) that comes our way.

Anne Landers {showing my age } did this exact survey decades ago in US and i'll never forget how shocked i was as a young mother of 3 to read that 70+% answered no. I am not surprised now.

I've got two. If I could do things differently, I'd have started earlier and have three or four. As it is, while I still probably have a few fertile years left, I don't feel I have the energy or physical strength to do it again.

That's not to say to say I don't sometimes miss my childfree life desperately, but my gorgeous kids are still worth the sacrifices we've made.

Felt sad when I read some people answered none. I have 3 and wouldnt be without them!

Honestly? Probably less or none.

Definitely. I spent so long thinking I didn't want any children that when I had the opportunity to start trying I simply didn't care. After illnesses and some personal difficulties I agreed to try (because DH wanted children), once DS arrived I've spent every day wondering why I was so against the idea. DS2 has just arrived and I'm already wondering how we're going to fit a 3rd child into our lives (and house, and car, and childcare arrangements)

If I had my time again I'd have started much younger - early 20s rather than 30- I wouldn't have bought my own house and I'd have been wiser with my income and saved more. I'd have 5 children. Instead, I know stopping at 2 is the wisest decision.

I wish I'd had mine younger too! It's making me really feel quite sad that there are so many people on this thread who are saying the same thing, well maybe not sad but definitely emotional.

I never wanted children, spend 11 years or marriage so happy with just the two of us and never felt the desire or urge for children.

I wish I'd know how fantastic children are and how much they'd add to my life. I didn't have children until I was 33 and next at 35. At 36 I've just had a silent miscarriage and although I'd love a third, I'm worried I'm too old.

Children are fabulous, they won't fix a broken relationship, far from it but they were absolutely the right them for me.

I think if I'd known how full on it would be, how busy I would be, etc...maybe I wouldn't have! I'm quite lazy

So I'm glad I didn't know because I don't know what I'd be without them. If that makes any sense!

I'm sorry Jasper.

I wanted more children than I've got. I wish I'd started earlier and had more.

I have three and would do the same again. My life with children is so much fuller and love filled. There are very hard days (and nights) but they are worth it.

I had mine after I had earned a decent amount and DH warns a decent amount. Having enough money makes a huge difference. I would have struggled to bring up kids on a tight budget. We still have great holidays and nights out and our lives don't feel limited as a result.also I work and that balance is necessary.

Yes, absolutely. As a teenage mother (originally, certainly not now) I've thought about this a lot. I've come to the conclusion that I wouldn't change a thing given my chance again except maybe DS1s dad

We have four children, had them all by 25. Now I can stay home for a few years to be with them and still have decades of career ahead of me when I get back into work.