When I tell people I have two children two and under, I normally get some sort of response of sympathy.  Having my children so close in age was something that my husband and I decided consciously to do.  We wanted them to grow up together and be at the same development age range.  Yes we knew that it was going to be difficult and more work on us, but my youngest is almost a year old and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

My siblings and I were 3 years apart and my mother did that consciously.  She only wanted one child in diapers at a time and that is what she got.  As we got older I remember that there were a few awkward years where we didn’t want to be around each other, or we were at different stages in our life.  Like the ages between 3, 6, and 9 or 16, 19, 21.  My sister at 3 couldn’t do or appreciate the same things as my brother at 9.  When we were teenagers we didn’t want our siblings to hang around us because it was “uncool”.  Now only in our 20’s can we appreciate each other and hang out like friends.

I didn’t want my children to go through those phases.  I wanted them to always be at the same level or at least some where around the same level. Since my son is only 16 months apart from my daughter, he is still learning a lot himself.  When we teach him something new, we also have an opportunity to teach my daughter.  He loves to help her learn.  He will interact with her while playing with his educational tools and teach her what he knows.  It is extremely heart warming to see.

For me it was easy to make the transition from one child to two.  I was already in the diaper, not sleeping through the night, not communicating well mode, so what was one more.  I was also able to use all my baby items without having to worry about them expiring or storing them for long periods of time. I know for a lot of people it is hard to see how have two children so close can be wonderful.  I am not going to lie and say that it is all wonderful, but overall I wouldn’t change it for the world. What are your thoughts on the age difference between siblings?

Ashley