We are planning our first child in the next 2-3 years, hoping for a second if all goes well. They will be well cared for financially - I am a family doctor and he is an academic professor. 

Options: 
1) His elder brother and SIL, who have a one-year old child already. They live one province away and are both gainfully and stably employed. However, my BIL is an alcoholic. Highly functioning, but still dependent. It's not a personality issue; they're lovely people and but for this one thing they would be the obvious choice. (He had an injury some years back and is anaphylactic to all non-opioid painkillers, so he developed a dependence on alcohol). 

2) My parents. They live across the country and come from a different culture. While I am fluent in their language and my spouse gets by, I doubt our children will pick it up, since I'm not good enough to teach it to them. My father would love having children around to spoil again, but I think it would overwhelm my quiet, introverted mother, who has finally felt relaxed since all the children are out of the house. 

3) His parents. They are retired to a beautiful oasis on the west coast, and are lovely, lovely people who, again, would be ideal in personality to take guardianship. Unfortunately my father in law smokes like a chimney. 

4) My siblings. Both younger, neither in a particularly ideal position to take over for children.

I wish I could combine all these people into ideal parents re: personalities and habits, but I can't. If you were in my position, who would you choose?
user
My husband is a professor and academic. I am a family doctor and am possibly pregnant. His brother and SIL have a child already. We are
assistant
We are planning our first child in the next 2-3 years, hoping for a second if all goes well. They will be well cared for financially - I am a family doctor and he is an academic professor. 

Options: 
1) His elder brother and SIL, who have a one-year old child already. They live one province away and are both gainfully and stably employed. However, my BIL is an alcoholic. Highly functioning, but still dependent. It's not a personality issue; they're lovely people and but for this one thing they would be the obvious choice. (He had an injury some years back and is anaphylactic to all non-opioid painkillers, so he developed a dependence on alcohol). 

2) My parents. They live across the country and come from a different culture. While I am fluent in their language and my spouse gets by, I doubt our children will pick it up, since I'm not good enough to teach it to them. My father would love having children around to spoil again, but I think it would overwhelm my quiet, introverted mother, who has finally felt relaxed since all the children are out of the house. 

3) His parents. They are retired to a beautiful oasis on the west coast, and are lovely, lovely people who, again, would be ideal in personality to take guardianship. Unfortunately my father in law smokes like a chimney. 

4) My siblings. Both younger, neither in a particularly ideal position to take over for children.

I wish I could combine all these people into ideal parents re: personalities and habits, but I can't. If you were in my position, who would you choose?
user
We will be having children. Which would you choose if you were in my shoes?
assistant