If you’re a young parent, your typical Friday nights might differ a bit from those of your single friends. Instead of going out to a restaurant or getting drinks with pals, you’re more likely to be giving your little one a bath and reading them a bedtime story. Young parenting can be stressful, but while it’s completely normal to sometimes feel nostalgic for your pre-baby lifestyle (and body), there are also a bunch of benefits of having children earlier in life.
Young parents bring a lot of enthusiasm and energy to parenting, and they can share a unique bond with their kids. If you’re pondering reasons to have a baby and trying to decide on the best time to start a family, here are 10 potential benefits of having children young, according to real-life parents:
1. You learn important lessons sooner
“My daughter has taught me so much,” says Courtney Howell, a parenting blogger and mom. “As much as I am raising her, she is helping me grow as a person.” According to Howell, the life lessons that she has learned from her daughter make her feel ahead of the curve.
2. Taking care of someone else encourages you to take care of yourself
“I’m so focused on doing the right thing to ensure my son is getting everything that he needs that, in turn, I’m making sure I’m at my healthiest for him, too,” says Tanay Howard, the blogger behind Life with Tanay.
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3. The transition into parenthood is easier
According to Howell, it’s easier to adjust to being a mom when you don’t have a chance to become accustomed to a lifestyle that revolves around sleeping in, spontaneous travel or being lax with finances.
4. There’s plenty of time to have more kids
When you have your first baby at a young age, you feel less pressure from your friends and family to keep adding to your brood. “No one is asking me when the next baby is coming or reminding me about my biological clock,” says Howard.
5. It may be easier to relate to your children
Like her son, Howard says that she can appreciate watching cartoons endlessly, building blocks just to knock them down and reading the same book a gazillion times. “As he gets older, I feel like it will be easier for me to remember what life was like when I was his age,” she adds.
6. You get to spend more time with your kids
“Having my daughter in my early 20s, as opposed to later in life, means I have that much more time to cherish with her and that many more memories to make,” says Howell.
7. You have time to plan out your future with your family in mind
Nothing motivates you more than having another person to think about, says Howard. Planning out your future at a young age will set you on the right path to achieve all of your personal and professional goals.
“As he [my son] gets older, I feel like it will be easier for me to remember what life was like when I was his age.”
—Courtney Howell, parenting blogger and mom
8. You’ll have an empty nest earlier on in life
Howell isn’t quite looking forward to the day her daughter moves out, but she admits that it’s nice to think she’ll just be entering her 40s when her little one goes off to college. “While other parents who decided to have kids later in life will be busy chasing toddlers or managing the mood swings of preteens, I’ll be busy rekindling my dreams, pursuing my passions and traveling,” she says.
9. Your kids will have active grandparents
By starting your family at a young age, you allow your parents to have more lively, healthy years as grandparents to your kids. Bonus: Younger grandparents typically have more energy for chasing their grandkids around, taking them to the park and simply getting down on the floor to play.
10. You have more energy too
What parent isn’t seriously sleep deprived? Sure, waking up multiple times every night is difficult at any age, but as Howard points out, it’s probably easier on your body to chase after a toddler on three hours a sleep when you’re in your 20s than it is a decade or so down the line.
The bottom line
Having kids is a major life milestone, and there are so many factors that go into deciding on the best time to become a parent. But along with the stresses and sleepless nights, there are also so many benefits of having kids, no matter what age you decide to start your family.
Younger parenting may not be the right choice for everyone, but it’s a choice many parents are thrilled with. With all the good reasons to have kids young, there’s no need to worry if Friday night means tucking the kids (and possibly yourself) in bed by 9 p.m. Just be sure to schedule a night off every once in a while.
