How to get people understand I want to be a mum?

Hi everyone,

So a little backstory here. I'm twenty-five, but have always known I want to be a mother. I am very nurturing, very maternal and love children.  I've been told in the past by people how brilliant I am with them. And my mum always tells me how brilliant I am with my younger sibling (his cognitive age is around 4 years old but physically 23.) 

My fiancé Jordan also wants to have children. But our mental healths aren't great just now. Which we absolutely want to 100% get as well as we can before we start trying for children. 

But my parents and family keep telling me 'but due to you and Jordan's autism and mental health. Children isn't right just now.' And we agree not until we're better. But! We know that others judge us for wanting children. My family are so supportive, but when children is mentioned you can tell they get uncomfortable.  

What makes me angry is I have an idea of  how difficult parenting is, as a lot of my friends who have children explain this to me. And I understand with Jordan and I's difficulties it might be a bit harder than we think. However, we would be brilliant parents. We understand we need to get our housing situation sorted and get things sorted with our healths. But our mental health and autism will always be there, as things do go up and down in life.

Some professions agree with me and say 'at the end of tje day it's your life.' And I should agree, but then why do I feel so guilty planning for the future? 

Every time I see a baby or child I get so emotional as I and Jordan want to be parents so badly. 

How do I talk to my family about this without leading to an argument. I've tried explaining we're being mature about this and wanting things sorted first. But at the end of the day our healths will always go up and down, and as long as we put the effort into getting support, then why shouldn't we have children in the future. 

My mum never says I can't have children but to seriously think about it and says my fiancé isn't 'able' she thinks enough because of his mental health and autism. That's not for her to decide, however Jordan and I have said that  at the end of this year (we're meant to be getting married in August) if we decided we're still not ready then we will wait. 

Am I being the silly one here? Or are we being sensible? 

We always put other people first, and that isn't going to change. We know that if we were to say to each other 'look my health isn't able to cope.' Or visa versa, we wouldn't judge each other, but my point is that is our decision to come to, not other people's. 

Thank you.

Parents
  • Hi, I'm 24 and just got married, me and my partner want kids, so similar situation to yourselves. 

    I'm diagnosed autistic, my partner definitely is high on spectrum, but closer to neurotypical. 

    Keep in mind 25 is young to be thinking of kids nowadays and there's no rush, you've got plenty of time to settle down and plan. :-)

    In terms of mental health and your current situation, yes, get in a better place before having kids, but keep in mind there is no getting 100% well. My mum has bipolar disorder, has had periods of being off sick for months at a time, but this has not stopped her from being a wonderful parent. Our family just has to all come together to support her and one another when she needs extra support. 

    Regarding your autism, this will not stop you being a good parent. You may need extra support with some things during pregnancy or post-partum, but again, this does not mean you will not be a good parent or affect your child, when you decide to have kids. 

    I think your mum wants the best for you, but isn't going about it the right way. I can understand her concerns, but that doesn't mean she is right. 

    I know it's hard when you want to have children so bad, but I think you need to wait a bit, give it some time, and then try discussing this with your mum without any emotions involved. Ask her to explain why she is so worried, then discuss solutions that may ease her worries. Then take some time to explain your side, how you're feeling etc.

    Hope this helps in some way! 

Reply
  • Hi, I'm 24 and just got married, me and my partner want kids, so similar situation to yourselves. 

    I'm diagnosed autistic, my partner definitely is high on spectrum, but closer to neurotypical. 

    Keep in mind 25 is young to be thinking of kids nowadays and there's no rush, you've got plenty of time to settle down and plan. :-)

    In terms of mental health and your current situation, yes, get in a better place before having kids, but keep in mind there is no getting 100% well. My mum has bipolar disorder, has had periods of being off sick for months at a time, but this has not stopped her from being a wonderful parent. Our family just has to all come together to support her and one another when she needs extra support. 

    Regarding your autism, this will not stop you being a good parent. You may need extra support with some things during pregnancy or post-partum, but again, this does not mean you will not be a good parent or affect your child, when you decide to have kids. 

    I think your mum wants the best for you, but isn't going about it the right way. I can understand her concerns, but that doesn't mean she is right. 

    I know it's hard when you want to have children so bad, but I think you need to wait a bit, give it some time, and then try discussing this with your mum without any emotions involved. Ask her to explain why she is so worried, then discuss solutions that may ease her worries. Then take some time to explain your side, how you're feeling etc.

    Hope this helps in some way! 

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