Writing for Elle Décor, Sarah Scott explained that she and her husband created the life they always dreamed of, but the decision has come at a price - something which few readers managed to empathise with.
Revealing that they worked hard to provide an idyllic life for their two sons, Sarah and her husband now live in their ‘dream home’ and want for nothing, but the life they have become accustomed to will soon be nothing but a memory if Sarah gives into a certain desire.
Admitting that she longs to have a third child, the mum goes on to explain that should she succumb to the desire, her family will have to sacrifice everything that have come to take as a given, saying: “Our happy children have everything they need (not everything they want) and I am able to stay home with them while they are young because of the carefully premeditated financial choices we have made.”
Having initially decided to stop after two children, Sarah now feels differently, writing: “We weren't planning on this change of heart when we purchased our home but we would like to have one more child. My uterus literally aches despite the fact that logic suggests we can't afford it right now.”
Explaining the impact welcoming a third child into their family would have, she says: “In order to have one more child, we would need to downsize. This would mean another move and tearing our two kids away from the house they now call a home. And it would mean that I would need to return to work full-time, taking away from the quality time our two children enjoy having with me.”
In addition to moving and returning to work, Sarah reveals a third child would wreak havoc on the family’s holiday plans, writing: “Our annual vacation would disappear because we would need to sell the timeshare to make up the difference.”
Allowing herself to fantasise about the prospect of becoming a mum for the third time, Sarah writes: "Sometimes, I can see us living in a smaller, older home somewhere, selling this one, and adjusting to accommodate life with a third child in a home that is definitely anything but a dream.”
But she quickly resigns herself to the notion that she will unlikely become pregnant again, finishing by saying: "I overhear our boys having a blast playing in our big, beautiful, safe backyard, or listen to their laughter billowing out of the colorful playroom space we have created and designed just for them, and I know this was always meant to be our forever home.”
The mum-of-two has been blasted for her piece, with members of the public mocking what they consider a self-absorbed, privileged attitude, with one reader asking: "Someone please tell me this is meant to be a satirical piece. Please. Because I don't think my faith in humanity can take any further blows."
Drawing on their own experiences of poverty, miscarriage and infertility, Sarah has faced a backlash of criticism from social media users who regarded the piece with utter disdain and encouraged the mother to be thankful for what she has.
Refusing to keep schtum after engaging with the piece, one Facebook user wrote: "Not sure there is a point, it's a 'poor little me' story that smacks of utter selfishness. Spare a thought for the women who can't have children instead of bleating on about your uterus aching for a third child. Difficult choice huh....your dream house versus a third child. Unbelievable!!!"
What are your thoughts?
