Having kids and a family is great, but if you are a newlywed, you should definitely make time to experience certain things with your partner before the little ones arrive.
Too often, people ask young couples when they expect to have children even before the biodegradable confetti that was thrown on their wedding day hits the ground. You and your husband are still getting into the swing of being a married couple and thinking about how you’re going to buy that new HD television and coffeemaker after blowing the budget on your wedding, but everyone keeps asking you when you plan on having babies!
The next few months come and go, a few nosy aunts are still asking you when you plan to have kids, and before you know it, you are starting to feel broody at baby showers. Is it the right time to have kids? Only you and your partner can make this decision. But here is a bucket list of what we suggest newlyweds experience and try out before they think about starting a family:
- Eat at restaurants that don’t have a kiddies’ area
Decide to go and eat at a restaurant on the spur of the moment. Once you have kids, you have to plan everything from babysitters to what your kids will eat at home, so there won’t be too many spur-of-the-moment nights out. Once they get a bit older, you can take your kids with you, but you will probably be limited to restaurants where the waiters sing, the napkins are made of paper and the kiddies’ areas are so loud that you can’t hear each other talk with all the noise. So, enjoy enough elegant, fine-dining experiences while you still can!
- Go to the movies
Go to the movies and choose the right cinemas (the ones with the comfy love seats!). Watch art movies or movies with age restrictions. Once your baby arrives, you will be too tired to watch movies. When your child gets a bit older, you will know the name of every cartoon and Disney character. You will recall the days when you and your partner fought over movie choices as a fond, distant memory.
- Spend the entire day at the mall
This may not seem like everybody’s cup of tea, but once you have kids, you will miss the days when you had time to window shop, try on clothes and stroll through the shops at your own leisure. When you have kids, you will avoid shopping centers at all costs (and if you have to go by yourself, you probably have to pay a babysitter at a per-hour rate).
- Walk around naked, and have sex wherever and whenever you want!
Enjoy each other’s bodies, because in the blink of an eye there will be a baby that is monopolizing your breasts or toddlers who waltz into your room at the most inconvenient time to snuggle up between you and your partner. Don’t limit sex to the bedroom – do it in the morning, afternoon and evening . . . on the couch, in the kitchen, on the stairs and on the floor. Your sex life isn’t over when you have kids, but kids definitely take up your energy, which can lead to sex falling a few notches down on the priority list.
- Travel, travel, travel!
Travel abroad or take a trip to the neighboring town. Travel as much as you can while you only have to pay for two airplane tickets and while you can still leave without feeling worried or guilty. Take on new challenges and adventures such as bungee jumping, shark cage diving, camping or whatever your heart desires!
- Sleep late and stay up late
You don’t realize what a treat it is to stay up until the early hours of the morning watching your favorite series, until the day that you can no longer do this. You are able to enjoy treats such as dark chocolate, great ice cream and a couple of bottles of red wine because you can simply sleep it off the next day. To be able to ignore all phone calls, sleep late and only get up when you absolutely have to (due to hunger or thirst), are luxuries that you will definitely miss once you have a family.
A few last things
- Eat your food while it is still warm (without having to focus on feeding a young one first, or having to wipe pumpkin from the wall).
- Draft your will and make sure your finances are sorted out. This will help you to feel more in control when everything around you feels like chaos.
- Rethink your minimalistic lifestyle, as this often involves sharp-edged furniture and glass tables.
- Buy a sexy, impractical sports car. Once you have kids, you will need all the space and functionality you can get!
- Take a Sunday drive for no reason (without someone asking “Are we there yet?” every five minutes).
- Accept every social invitation and spend time with your friends who don’t have children (while they can still stand you).
And finally, do whatever the two of you want to do as a couple. Having kids doesn’t mean that your life is over, but it will be forever changed in big ways. It can be hard at times, but it’s mostly exciting, unpredictable and very rewarding. Make the most of your time alone together before you decide to have kids.