Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh made a conscious decision to have her babies back-to-back. Her “Irish Twins,” Joseph Michael and Sundance Thomas, are less than a year apart. I kind of think Walsh and her husband, Casey Jennings (also a volleyball star), are a little bit crazy for intentionally doing this to themselves—there is a nine year spread between my daughters that I appreciate more than you can imagine—but evidently this is a growing trend.
And, to be fair, there are some pretty compelling reasons to support the Irish Twin concept, particularly for working mothers.
In a recent piece on People.com, Walsh defended her decision.
• As a professional athlete, the lifespan of my career is, unfortunately, pretty limited. I felt that having my children back-to-back would enable me to make the most of my time in the sand. I was fortunate enough to win gold in 2008 and a little shy of two years later, I have both my babies and am now getting back to the sport I love so much and the job which allows me to support my family.
• Our volleyball careers require us to travel a lot and we never want our kids to feel alone or to be without someone to relate to.
• Lastly and most importantly: Both Casey and I are very close in age to our nearest sibling and we each absolutely LOVED everything about that closeness.
This connects directly to the motherhood vs. career conundrum, of course. Kerri Walsh probably does not have an “I love my life as Mommy & wife” holder for her license …
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