Things to Do Before Kids

I know, this blog post is a little odd for the Kids Formal blog considering we specialize in clothes for kids…meaning you probably already have kids, right?! Well, I know I’m a little late in writing this but I just had to get it out of my system. It seems like I’m always seeing and talking to “young” couples who are engaged or have just gotten married and don’t have kids yet. There are just so many things that I want to tell them, you know the things I didn’t think twice about before having kids that I wish someone would have told me about. So, if you know one of the couples I’m talking about…pass this on to them!

• Take Naps!! I can’t tell you how many times in a week I think about those college days when I could nap whenever I wanted to. Before class, after class, sometimes during class…butI didn’t take advantage of it. If I could go back in time I think I would seriously shake myself for not taking advantage of those all those missed opportunities. Now that I’m a mom, my time is not my own. It belongs to my kiddos (ages 5 and 6 months) and I only get to sleep when they are, which isn’t often enough!
• Enjoy the Romance. I know that when you’re young and just getting started with your career, money is a pretty hot commodity. It’s one that most responsible young, kid-less people try to save for the future. Saving money is great, but don’t be so tight with your money that you skimp on romantic dates. Trust me, once the little ones arrive, finding the time to go out on a nice, romantic date alone is next to impossible. As in, if you’re lucky, three to five times a year. Enjoy the romance together now because kids have a tendency to make it harder to do.
• Travel More. This is another big one. Probably the one that I really wish I would have known about before kids. My husband and I love to travel – we always have. However, we dated for five years before we got married. We were 21 when we got married – so really, we only dated 2 ½ years after high school before getting married. In other words, we were broke college students. We had our first kiddo when we were 24. We did do some traveling during those childless years, but not nearly as much as we should have.