Conception

Forcing your partner to have a baby

You can’t wait to start or expand your family. However, your partner seems more than a little reluctant to discuss it. Should you put some pressure on him to convince him?

You dream of having a baby. You spend hours browsing baby names and you keep trying to make little comments to your spouse hoping he’ll understand the message and agree to your wishes. But he doesn’t seem to understand the message and you’re starting to feel frustrated and a little discouraged.

Your biological clock is ringing

There comes a point in every woman’s life when our body and mind just send us the signal that we are ready for motherhood for different physical reasons, like the ideal age to bear a child or psychological reasons like having achieved goals that we had set out for ourselves. This hormonal pull can be extremely strong when we start seeing the time passing and we begin to see our chances of getting pregnant decrease.

According to Manon Fabi, NPL family coach, it’s when women are 20 years old that their fertility is at its peak and it decreases slowly at the age of 30 to 35 years old, to finally decrease faster. The probability of having a child at 35 years old is about 12% while it’s already down to 6% for women of 40 years old.

It’s normal to feel a sense of urgency especially as you may feel an intense need to finally have a child, to take care of him and to maximize your maternal instinct and develop your family.

Of course, no matter what your reasons are, you must take into consideration that having a child is a decision that must be made by the two of you and it should always be taken with love and respect, so that you can share all the fun, but also all the responsibilities and fears. This important decision deserves careful thought and an honest discussion of your expectations and concerns.

The risk of putting too much pressure

It’s possible that your partner will simply refuse to budge, which might mean you need to take a decision. If he feels you are not respecting his feelings, he may decide to leave the relationship for the wrong reasons, because he is feeling misunderstood.

If he eventually gives in, it’s likely that he will not feel committed or have a deep desire to have this child. Manon tells us that this can definitely have an impact on the child, since the father’s attachment will not be well established, which can create a lack of affection and prevent a healthy and balanced development. In addition, the fact that he felt forced will probably have a negative effect on your relationship, as he will most likely be feeling frustrated or even trapped. Harmony in a relationship is essential to ensure a safe and healthy home environment for the child.


This week
My second child doesn’t like school as much as the first

Your eldest loves school and has good grades. Her little brother is not as enthusiastic! How can you encourage the first without discouraging the second?

My child isn't adapting to school

When we take a look at our children's student life, we tend to idealize it. Yet, it only takes a quick trip down memory lane to remember that not everything in school is so fine and dandy. In fact, it was quite hard for us at times, so why do we expect it to be so easy for our kids?

How to: 10 tips to surviving homework

Back to school period hits us all like a ton of bricks. It doesn't just affect your child! We have to help with homework, wash the uniforms, get all the right supplies ready, and the list goes on. Here are 10 strategies to survive the few first weeks and how to get back into the routine.

My child is always arguing!

Your child suddenly starts to refuse whatever you’re offering him overnight and you’re wondering what might have brought on this new behavior?