# Your child - planned? \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527 "2011-05-02T23:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/1 "2011-05-02T23:51:14Z")
Another thread got me thinking. I was watching something once that said the majority of children born, I can’t remember if it was in the US or globally, are unplanned. Since this board has a lot of highly educated people, I was curious. Dopers with children, were they planned? Not dogding the question (I only dodge my child support! JK ;)), I don’t have any children. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/2 "2011-05-02T23:55:45Z")
My husband and I have three children; the oldest (who will be 24 next month) was unplanned; the other two (ages 20 and 11) were planned. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/3 "2011-05-03T00:29:15Z")
One child, planned. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/4 "2011-05-03T00:44:26Z")
Also one child, planned. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/5 "2011-05-03T00:44:28Z")
Two children, both planned. We planned that they be 5 years apart so that we’d have a year of recovery between paying for their colleges. Came in very handy. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/6 "2011-05-03T00:46:33Z")
First child: not planned. Second child: planned. ---
**Author:** ![classyladyhp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@classyladyhp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/classyladyhp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/7 "2011-05-03T00:49:59Z")
1st child not planned 2nd very planned 3rd not planned ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/8 "2011-05-03T00:54:52Z")
I planned not to have children. So far, so good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/9 "2011-05-03T00:55:40Z")
1st child, not planned. 2nd planned to the day, although she thwarted our careful planning by coming out 4 months early. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/10 "2011-05-03T00:57:18Z")
Two children. The first, unplanned. The second, planned. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/11 "2011-05-03T00:59:39Z")
I have no children, so I’ll speak about my parents. I was wholly unplanned. In fact, I attended my parents’ wedding (albeit as a babe in arms), they would not have stuck together for much longer if I hadn’t have come along, I don’t think. My brother (4 years younger) was planned. Mum always wanted 2 kids, a boy and a girl. So once she had me, they tried for another one. My parents separated, and my dad remarried in 02. I now have a 6 year old half-sister who was VERY much planned. How do I know this? Dad had the snip when he was still with mum, and he and my stepmum had to undergo IVF to conceive my sister. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/12 "2011-05-03T01:06:32Z")
First, unplanned. Second, planned but miscarried. Third, planned. If I happen to be pregnant right now, then it will be unplanned. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/13 "2011-05-03T01:16:23Z")
Unplanned, planned, unplanned. I was unplanned. My Dad was unplanned. I made sure I told the kids they come from a long line of escape artists. They deserved to be warned that the odds were against them. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/14 "2011-05-03T01:28:33Z")
First pregnancy, planned, but ectopic. First child, planned. Second child, unplanned, but not a total surprise, as I knew there might be a chance. Third child, unplanned, and a COMPLETE shock. The only time my knees have ever buckled from shock was when I saw that second line pop up. Whether planned or not, though, each child was very much wanted! 🙂 I never use the term “accident” when I talk about it, I say “surprise,” and I’ve made sure they know I always considered it a GOOD surprise! ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/15 "2011-05-03T01:30:09Z")
One stepchild, planned 🙂 I suspect I was … not an accident, per se, but chips-fall. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/16 "2011-05-03T01:38:19Z")
first unplanned, second planned ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/17 "2011-05-03T01:48:51Z")
Once child, very very much unplanned (but not unwanted or unloved!) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/18 "2011-05-03T01:50:55Z")
First child…planned, but we couldn’t conceive, so we adopted. So planned, but not originally in the manner or timeframe he arrived. We planned on adopting a second child, but before the first got through the door - surprise! We wanted two, we got two, neither came in the manner or timeframe in which they were first anticipated. ---
**Author:** ![classyladyhp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@classyladyhp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/classyladyhp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/19 "2011-05-03T01:55:45Z")
> [@classyladyhp](#): > > 1st child not planned > 2nd very planned > 3rd not planned I made an error: 1st child not planned 2nd child planned-miscarriage 3rd child very planned 4th child unplanned ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527/20 "2011-05-03T02:18:15Z")
Both my girls were unplanned. Another unplanned I miscarried, another miscarry I’d planned. And one abortion when I was 15 that was clearly unplanned! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-child-planned-edited-title/580527.md?page=2)