7 Things I'm excited about when I have children

[This is a guest post from Jenny in Neverland]

I've never been one that's fully set on having children. Although I've never been the kind of person who's adamant they don't want them either. For quite a while, I've more or less sat on the fence. If it happens, then that's great. But if it doesn't, then it's not the end of my world. And for the time being, I'm pretty happy with my attitude and approach to having (or not having) children.

Luckily, my partner of 8 years feels the same. We had our first very honest chat about children late last year when we went out for dinner and it turns out we're very much on the same page. He said he would like them but again, it probably wouldn't be the ends of the Earth if it didn't happen for us. We're not actively trying – but it's nice to know that we're on the same page for the foreseeable.

Despite being happily on the fence though, there's definitely a part of me that feels a little pang when I see so many of my old school friends and current family members (from both sides) having children and seeing the beautiful family photos they publish on social media. And I know, you shouldn't compare yourself to anything you see on social media. But we all know that's easier said than done, don't we?

As I approach 30 (ugh!) the topic of children is on my mind more and more. And whilst, like I said, I'm pretty happy on the fence, I know that should I have them at some point, there are a lot of things I'm really excited about experiencing. Here's a few of those things!

_{[Photo by Ana Tablas on Unsplash]}

When I have children I'm excited for...

Taking them to Disneyland Paris.

Okay a pretty specific thing to start with but yes, Disneyland Paris. I've been to DLP a few times and it's my absolute happy place. I can't wait to go back and taking my future children to DLP will be right up there at the top of my to-do list.

I can't wait to show them the magic of Disney, the enchantment of the parks, the excitement of the rides – everything! Is this just an excuse so I can go back to Disneyland Paris? Maybe. But they don't have to know.

Being able to embrace my inner child again.

This ties in nicely with the above point but I feel like having children allows you to embrace your own inner child a little more again too. I may be completely wrong about this, given that I don't have children but I'd like to think having a few small people running around allows you to embrace that childhood wonder again yourself. Something most of us lose and struggle to get back.

Seeing what hobbies and interests they pick up.

Okay this is one I'm REALLY excited about because my boyfriend and I have a lot of interests between us. We both love Formula 1 and Motorsport. We both love snooker. I love books and reading. He's obsessed with steam trains and cars. We're both musical.

So if it was up to us, our future child is going to have go-karts and snooker cues and guitars and books and all sorts thrown at them at a young age. I'd love to introduce my child to the things we love but what I'm most excited about is seeing what hobbies they pick up naturally.

The sense of purpose that comes with being a Mum.

I struggle a lot with my sense of purpose currently and whilst I wouldn't bargain everything on feeling completely different when I had children, I think it would be naive of me to not expect to feel a new and different sense of purpose when I had a small human being to look after and nurture. This point is perhaps a little selfish on my part – but still a valid reason.

A new challenge.

Of course I know that having a child will be a challenge. But it's a challenge I'd be excited to take on. I think. Eek. I'm not under any false pretences that it won't be hard but I'd hope it was completely worthwhile.

Seeing them look at the world with awe.

Similarly to the point about your own inner child, I imagine seeing your little human look at the most mundane and normal of things in absolute awe and exploring this new, strange world is an absolute joy to experience.

The experience of pregnancy.

The moment in time when I knew I was ready to have children (if I was going to have them) was the point where the thought of pregnancy no longer scared me. All throughout my teenage years and early 20's, the thought of being pregnant would terrify the heck out of me. To the point where I said if I ever wanted children, I'd need to have a surrogate because I simply could not do it myself.

Now, I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the experience of being pregnant. And I love watching and hearing about other people's pregnancy experiences – like Hannah Witton! I totally understand that some people have a torrid time with pregnancy and I respect that and feel for those people but obviously, if you've never been pregnant before, you won't know how your experience is going to pan
out.

Whether children will happen for me or not, that's for time to tell. But I do hope I can experience these things eventually!

_{About the author: Jenny is a full-time blogger of 8+ years at www.jennyinneverland.com where she talks predominantly about self care, wellness and personal growth. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, with her nose in a book, on the Yoga mat or devouring a packet of mini rolls.}