As soon as possible

Contributed by Haresh & Rita, 27 & 25 years old respectively

"As soon as possible" is our standard reply to anyone who asks us when we plan to have children. Although weve only been married a few months and are still learning to live with each others quirks, weve definitely been thinking of starting our family soon.

We believe that being parents comes with great responsibilities. That means we have to plan even before we conceive a baby. Some well-meaning friends have told us not to plan so much and just go for it, but thats just not out style.

Both of us only have one sibling each and we feel that having 3 or 4 children is our ideal family size. This may comes as a surprise to our friends, but we really do want to have a bigger family. So whenever were out during the weekend, weve been on the lookout for large families to observe how the parents interact with their children. We think its a real blessing to be able to take ones children out to the beach or park, to play outdoor games, and to just enjoy each others company.

Also, after observing how several of our friends and colleagues cope with looking after their children, we realize that its important for us to be emotionally and financially ready for a baby. After all, this baby will be completely dependent on us! Weve also promised ourselves to make a concerted effort to support each other, as it will be a totally new experience for us - one that can test the strength of any marriage.

With one of us about to finish our post-grad and the other working in sales, we quite like the fact that our current situation allows for some flexibility in timing. We hope to continue with this arrangement in both our jobs so that when our baby comes, child caring is something we can both do, instead of our baby going straight into an infant care centre.

For now, were looking at what kind of career and work arrangements are available for us to make the transition from being a couple to having not just one baby but several. Maybe were being idealistic, but it wont stop us from planning as much as we can.

So whats next on our plan? It looks like well be celebrating our 1st anniversary only as a couple. But we certainly dont expect a quiet celebration for our 2nd anniversary!