Creating a Family: Step 1

Choose the right spouse. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that you do not have to be married to create a family. However, I am not simply talking about the physical act of making a baby. I am talking about designing the ideal environment for a happy and healthy family. In my opinion, you need a very strong, committed relationship when you decide to make another human being. This could be a relationship between a man and woman, two women or two men. The requirement is that these two people prioritize their relationship (and all resulting children) above anything else on this earth. If you can meet that requirement, you will have a fighting chance. If not, please do not attempt Step 2. Now, before I piss off too many people this early on, please know that I am aware that there are good single parents out there. I think most of them would agree that it isn't ideal and that it makes their job really hard. If you don't agree with that, then you probably won't like what I have to say. Just wait until I get to the importance of one parent staying home to raise their children. You will really hate me then. I know my ideas are no longer common, but I can tell you that they work. Oh, and I am in no way saying that the mom has to be the one to stay home. That is how it works at our house, but if I were the one who loved my career and made enough money to support our family of four, then I would be the one going out to work every day while my husband (if he were so inclined) stayed home to raise and educate our children. So, back to choosing the right spouse. I will be completely honest and tell you that, when I met my husband, I was not thinking about what kind of dad he would be. I was thinking that I wanted to swim in his beautiful, blue eyes forever. I was thinking I wanted to put my hands in his perfect, golden hair. Well, you get the idea. I fell in love with my husband almost immediately, though he didn't become my husband for almost 8 years.