This was an interesting question to see on the board this morning. However, the subject line and the first sentence ask two different things. They likely have different sets of answers, then....
What are the best REASONS to have children???
My wife and I have four children, ranging in age from their upper 20s down to the mid teens. As I weigh this from the perspective of the original post/poster....this is a hard question to answer....or maybe it is too simple and I am wrestling with its simplicity. I want to say, "because you know you want to expand your family and you want to fulfill one of the reasons behind why God brought you and your spouse together". My wife and I dated for nine years. We talked about having children. We both knew we wanted children. We werent overly young when we wed. We knew we would want/need to "try" fairly early in our marriage. When the SHTF and she decided she was ready....I completely was NOT sure that I was "ready" to be a parent. I lived an adventurous and reckless lifestyle. We did lots of things together and I had a goodly number of pursuits that werent "the best" for me....and becoming a parent, I realized, would signal a necessary end to some of that, and a marked decrease in our ability/willingness to pursue much of the rest of it. She was sure she was ready. In no way was I sure that I was...but, I knew her timing and settled spirit were where I should go. So, for me, the best reasons came down to....we knew we wanted to expand our family, and we wanted to fulfill one of the reasons we felt God brought us together...even though I was completely unsure that I was ready.
What are the best parts about having children???
The fun....the payback on the investment....best return I have ever enjoyed....without a "close second".
I will acknowledge that I did not "enjoy" the first six months of ANY of our children's lives. They cry. They poop. They wear you out....and Im the Dad. What they do to Moms is several levels beyond that. I know there are some/many who LOVE those earliest months. In my eyes....ALL WORK....ZERO return. Then, around 6 to 9 months of age, these little beings change....and they become so much fun! Yes, there are troubles, especially in the teen to early 20s...but even in those times, I have always had so much more fun because of what my kids brought into our lives than any trouble we have had to deal with. The older ones are now finally in their "adulting" modes, having completed all training/schooling, getting married and moving into their own homes....the fun just multiplies. We have had unexpected "surprise blessing" from God, when we thought our family was "complete". Major curve ball thrown at us.....now we KNOW our lives were not complete and cannot imagine our family without her. What is the best part of having children? For us, they have brought a depth and richness to life that we would never have known without them.
