Holly asked me to read this and write my own version. When it comes to having kids, Holly doesn't have a firm list of her own (she doesn't care much whether we have a boy or a girl, one or two kids, etc.), but she does have a lot to say about parenting. In case you didn't read her blog entry -- yes, we both know that this sort of planning is delusional. We get that things like the sex of future children, or whether said children will grow up to have terrible taste in music are beyond our control. But does that stop us? What do you think? So here's my list of procreation plans:
1. We should have two kids.
2. The two kids should be spaced exactly two years apart.
I think there are some official studies about why this is a good thing (I vaguely remember a dad friend of mine discussing the spacing issue), but here's my reason. When kid #2 is a freshman in high school, kid # 1 will be a junior. That's enough separation that the older child can be an advocate and friend to the younger child, and they can share a peer group somewhat. Plus, they'd get to have their own junior high experience. Holly was shocked and amused to find out that I had ever even considered this stuff. But as the much, much younger brother in a family of three boys, I always wished one of my older brothers were closer to me in age to help usher me though those awkward years.
And here's my list of parenting plans:
1. My kids will not be allowed to listen to horrible music either in my home or car.* Don't ask me how I'm going to enforce this. In my fantasy life, I can influence my fantasy kids simply by exposing them to amazing music early on. Holly laughed and said I should let the dream die now. She said karma dictates that music snobs like us are pretty much doomed to have children who live for the worst pop-schlock available.
2. My kids will have very limited exposure to TV. Again, I know this is a total fantasy. But here's the thing: If in 2010 we (as a country) are already at MTV’s The Jersey Shore, I shudder to think of the quality of the programming that we'll be churning out in a few years’ time.
*This category includes children's music.
What about you?
A. Do you have similar lists and ideas?
B. Did you have similar lists and ideas -- but now you have real kids?
C. Is it completely different from how you thought it'd be?