Parenting and Family
If one partner wants children and the other does not, can we have a child first and deal with it later?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Do not rush to have a child before reaching an understanding. After a child is born, life includes more responsibilities, and expectations the couple never clarified will not automatically disappear.
A fellow practitioner suggested a very practical discussion: if one wants a child and the other does not, consider together what life would look like with children and how it would look without them. Open the subject first and allow both people to express their real thoughts. Only then can you see where the differences lie.
After encountering relationship cases, I remind people not to rush into having children if they have not even agreed on how to relate to each other or what future life should be. This does not decide for every couple that they must or must not have children. It asks them to face the choice seriously, rather than assume marriage naturally means they should have a child.