Logistics questions to ask before starting a family
Now that you’ve gone through your values and dreams with your partner, it’s time to talk about the HOW to have kids rather than the WHY. The following categories are helpful for planning and understanding how and when is the right time to have children for your family.
Just like before, these conversations take time and you might need to do some research before you know the answers to all of these questions. Space it out as much as you want! You’ll both need to understand your company’s parental leave policy, do research on childcare options nearby, and think about your workplace flexibility.
When you go through some of these questions together, that’s a great time to bring in the Mirza beta tool! You can work through your decisions around when to have your first child, how much parental leave to take, how to return to work, and the costs of childcare together. If you haven’t signed up for beta yet, you can do so here.
Childcare Questions
How do we feel about daycare? A nanny?
How flexible are our jobs - are there rigid times when we would need to be at work? What does our travel look like?
What options are available close to us? Close to work?
Parental Leave Questions
What are our companies’ parental leave policies?
Are we eligible for short term disability benefits as a form of parental leave?
How do we envision going back to work? Part time? Full time?
Household Work Questions
How did our families split housework growing up? And how does this shape our approach to sharing responsibilities?
Do we actually share the housework, and how will starting a family affect this dynamic?
How can we better distribute the workload evenly in the future?
Finance related questions
Ask yourself
Can we financially afford unpaid leave for one of us, or both of us?
Does our health plan or insurance cover the costs of childbirth?
If we need to undergo fertility treatment, can we afford it?
What are the costs of having a child? How can we save money when starting a family?
Is our home and the area we live in suitable for having children in the long-term? Will we need to move to a bigger place in a better location and is this financially realistic for us?
Do we know how to maximise all financial resources available to us such as using tax benefits?
