What it takes to raise a second child

Recently, my wife and I decided to spend some private time with our second child, Audrey. We realized it's so easy to neglect the second kid and give her less attention. I've been pondering why this happens, and it seems pretty common.

When you have your first kid, everything is exciting and new. You try to create fresh experiences, be creative, and give all your attention to the first child.

But with the second child, it's different. The first child is already walking, talking, and demanding attention, so naturally, your focus gets split.

Also, it’s just not as thrilling the second time around. You've already done the cafe hopping and home tidying exercises with the first kid. Your creative juices run dry by the time the second one comes along.

Then there's tolerance—this one's tough to admit but true.

With the first child, everything has a reason, and you're keen on figuring it out. By the time the second kid arrives, you expect them to behave similarly and lose patience when they don't. The second child often seems harder to manage because they're competing for attention.

All in all, it takes more willpower to spend quality time with the second child.

But now that we're aware of this, I believe it's solvable. It will require intentional reflection, thinking, and scheduling to make it happen. Let's see how it goes—this is our latest discovery about raising our second child.