Trying to come to terms with the impact of our choices—Anonymous

Tread lightly is a motto I live by and one I am trying to instill in my two young children.

I speak to them often about being gentle to the earth and we try as a family to make choices that do more good than harm - to the environment and to the people around us. So when I sit here considering if we should have a third child, it seems completely unreasonable for us to do so. There is no treading lightly with three kids! Still, it is so badly what I want. Maybe part of it has to do with our journey to becoming parents. It wasn’t easy and came with enormous heartache and loss. We have had no trouble conceiving, but I have experienced loss after loss after loss (and several more losses). But once we got here it has been so incredibly fulfilling. Can we have three kids and truly be good to the earth? How selfish are we to want THREE?! I keep hoping if I raise them well they will create a future better than the one we currently see looming in front of us. Maybe we will raise little environmentalists who steward the earth gently and who care for the people and animals on it. But really, no matter how much we try to offset the impact of our family, or the potential of our children to grow up with a passion for sustainability, having more kids WILL take a toll on the earth and our shared resources. No matter how much my heart and body want to have another child, there is no justifying the impact that will have.