10 Things You Absolutely Must Agree On Before Having Children

My friend posted a funny tongue-in-cheek article today called "35 Things You Absolutely Must Agree on Before Getting Married" (click here for the article), which nails Will and my primary areas of contention, namely, #18, #23, and dirty clothes - do they need to be put in a hamper or is stacking on the floor permissible until laundry day? 

While this list dealt with marriage, I think it is equally important to agree on certain Very Important Concepts before having children. I therefore present 10 Things You Absolutely Must Agree on Before Having Children.

10. Sleep Deprivation - Crazy Monster or Party Like a Rock Star? If you find yourself with a partner who handles waking up at all hours of the night with ease, you should start lobbying them to handle all of the duties that call for sleep deprivation. If both of you turn into Crazy Monster People when you do not have enough sleep (like me, last night...) then, well, just remember there is a reason that sleep deprivation is considered torture.

9. Clothes - Matching or Not Matching? What do you do when your child emerges wearing stripes with plaids? It is important to present a united front here. Thankfully Will and I both fall into the Lazy Always Wins camp and go with "not matching."

8. Hotel Traveling - Kids Sleep Together or Kids Sleep with Parents? It is important to set a precedent you are willing to live with for years and years. So if, hypothetically, you and your spouse agree to each sleep with a child on a trip as a special treat, make sure you don't mind doing it For Every Trip Forever or you will find yourself yelling at your children about the right to sleep with your spouse on your anniversary night. ;)

7. Assigned Chores or Everyone Frantically Pitches In When Company is Coming Over Chores? I think it is clear what laziness would dictate here...

6. iPad - Genius Invention or Spawn of Satan? The jury is still out on that one around here.

5. Halloween Candy - Separate or All Together? We have always kept very careful track of the kids' Halloween candy and kept it very segregated by child and event, even down to labeling the bucket with a sharpie. I am beginning to regret this decision as now it has become an unbreakable social norm and I cannot steal candy from a child's bucket unscathed.

4. Food in the Kitchen Only or Food Free for All? When we moved into our house we declared that the downstairs family room was to be a Food Free Zone (partially because our brand new couches did not have any protective spray on them, since I was still in the middle of my anti-chemical spree when we bought them). This has not stuck, primarily because as it turns out, Will and I also enjoy eating outside of the kitchen...

3. Re-wear Jeans or Wash Every Time? Will and I are divided on this one, but interestingly, it is our opposite-gender children who have adopted our habits of washing jeans every time they are worn (Annika) or declaring proudly, "You can wear jeans 10 times!!" (Daniel). If nothing else, it does make for amusing debates between the children.

2. Planner - Sign on a Regular Schedule or Remember to Sign it Sporadically? Oh, the planner. I think that is the hardest adjustment to 4th grade - having to have a parent sign that planner every.single.night.

And finally, The Absolute Most Important Thing You Must Agree on Before Having Children....

1. K-State or KU? Need I say more?