Today I'd like to share some exciting news. Last Friday we found out that with the addition of Baby #2, we will become, what several people have referred to as, a "Million Dollar Family".
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term Million Dollar Family (as I was until Saturday), it is when a married couple have two children, a boy followed by a girl.
Historically, this term pertained to wealthy families, and was akin to winning the offspring lottery. It meant having a firstborn son, to inherit the estate and carry on the family name, and a daughter to marry a powerful ally and expand your family's power and influence. A Million Dollar Family didn't have a need for multiple sons, as they had enough money to pay servants to do any manual labour. And a household of daughters would mean there would be no one to carry on the family name. Additionally, more than two children, meant more mouths to feed, bodies to clothe etc. so those third, fourth, fifth children, cost the family more than they were worth and were therefore avoided.
So there you have it, your Wednesday afternoon history lesson.
Now, while we will meet the "genitalia criteria" for a Million Dollar Family with the addition of Baby Girl R, that is where the similarities between our little family and this "ideal" family BS ends. Here are a few reasons why...
1. We are not a powerful oil tycoon family, the heirs of a shipping dynasty or the descendants of Royalty. In fact, we have no "estate", "power" or "family jewels" to pass on to our children. That being said, any small fortune we may accrue throughout our lives will be split equally among all of our children, and anyone else we feel is deserving of a piece of the pie.
2. We will not be arranging, nor will have any part in selecting who Baby Girl R partners with in the future. So any hope of spreading our power and dominance "throughout the land" will have to be done on our own accord, not by an ideal union of offspring.
3. There is a possibilty that K (if he decides to marry) takes his partner's last name. In 2015, having a child with a penis does not equal having someone to carry on the family name. Likewise, Baby Girl R may decide not to marry, or not to take her future partner's last name. A daughter can easily pass her family name on to her children.
4. I'm a strong believer in "many hands make light work" and since we don't have any servants on staff, who are we to turn our nose up at a couple extra sons and daughters?! Are we really expected to stop at two children simply because someone 150 years ago thought this was ideal? One hundred and fifty years ago, these same people still believed in Maternal Impression, the Four Humors and that slavery was a-ok. While we may be "two and through", the jury is still out on that one and when the time comes, we will be deciding based on our own criteria.
So moral of the story, "perfect" families come in all shapes and sizes, and in 2015, I'd like to believe that people don't actually still strive for, or idealize, the archaic notion of a Million Dollar Family. We are happy to be expanding our brood and are thrilled that we will get to watch K take on a new role of Big Brother. As for Baby Girl R, we can't wait to meet her!
Until next time friends,
-A
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| "Knocking" on Mummy's belly to see if the baby's home. |
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