There are a lot of other issues to consider when forking, such as waiting for children, zombies, communication between processes, and portability.

I posted a script here a couple of years ago that solved most of my problems (but I've never had any comments on it). Maybe it will give you some insight.

I'm unsure whether you want to communicate with the forked children, or let them run freely. Otherwise, I think you can use my script as a template. (I'd be interested in any feedback :)