So you want to have a baby in Second Life...

Something brought you to this moment. The moment when you have decided to become a parent in Second Life. For each the choice is different but we do see common themes such as not able to have children in a person's first life, wanting to expand the family with their SL partner, or in many cases the role play led to this outcome. Whatever the case may be, your now left asking, "What do I do now?" The answer as with most things in SL is to find a HUD to help. I think asking yourself some basic questions is where to start before heading out on that shopping trip.  

1) How much time am I willing and able to commit to a pregnancy?  This is a very good question and hard to answer because what you can give today may change due to your first life obligations.  Most donate 9 weeks and enjoy a month of pregnancy a week.  There are those who do smaller amount of time or even skip this step all together.  Then there are those who do a full first life 9 months. There are no right or wrong answers. It is personal choice. Your choice. 

2) How much money am I willing and able to commit to a pregnancy? Obviously, the more time you spend pregnant the more you will obligate financially on secondaries such as clothing and skins. If your pregnancy is due to a role play on a combat or Gorean region you're most likely going to keep this as simple and as cheap as possible.  Honestly weapons are a much better use of your lindens than a beautifully shaded pregnancy skin. For those of you who made this as a conscious choice you are more likely wanting to enjoy the journey and stretch it out a bit. If you fit this be prepared to spend.

Over the next few publications, we will go over pregnancy systems and get a better understanding of what may work for you. It will have to be several publications as there are many systems in SL that allow you to get and maintain a pregnancy, Mama Alpha, Hands on Momma, LoveMomma, and Tantra to just name a few. Each has their pros and cons but before selection it is important to ask what each system does and if they meet the need of your future pregnancy. Of the four mentioned the only one I do not have personal experience with is the Hands on Momma however I do have many friends and family that have used it and will be picking their brains for information.  If you have any questions for me that you would like answered in here, I am Kalia Anatine inworld, please drop me a notecard titled Parenting SL Question (Your Name).

Kalia & Riot's Baby Shower by Selene Float

Welcome to the start.

Welcome to Parenting SL a blog about being and navigating the virtual world of Second Life as a parent. Being a parent in SL is very complicated and runs through a huge portion of Second Life.  There are those who roleplay and have families in combat regions, to people who come together and create a family for the sake of having a family.  This is augmented by the fact that in Second Life we have animesh, mesh, sculpt, and even prim babies. If it is already sounding overwhelming, well I will not lie it is at times.  It is my hope to bring you and yes, even myself a little help navigating these nuances.  Along the way we will explore the tricks and gadgets you will need to make the experience fulfilling and less of a hassle.  I hope you take this journey with me, and it helps you navigate your Second Life as a parent.