Everyone always asks about life with three children. Is it hard? Are you crazy? You're done right? How do you not drive a minivan? (kinda wish I did...not gonna lie.) I get the comments at the store "Oh you have your hands full." "God Bless." "You are a busy mama." They will help me unload my cart at the grocery line. They open doors for me. I even had a man walk me out to my car when it was raining with his umbrella over my head and the cart to cover the kids. If these people think I am busy with three, I wish they could get a glimpse into the lives of my friends with four, five, six and even seven children. All military or former military families now that I think about it...maybe it has something to do with all those deployments and missing their spouses a lot;)
I often wonder why two children is the "cap" now for babies. Everything after two and you are considered crazy. When I mention (on good days with my kids) that I want a fourth child, I swear people look at me with their giant saucer eyes and mouths gaped open uttering words like "whaaat? Seriously? No way. I could never do that". Then there are my few sweet friends who say "I could totally see you having another." (Love them the most!) I remember my uncle (he has 4 kids...three being triplets) saying "anything after two and just remember you'll always need a bigger hotel room on vacations". Ha! So true though! Why is it that my grandma and Tom's grandma had ten kids each and no one flinched? And I do not remember ever seeing pictures of a mini van or large vehicle in my grandparent's driveway. Correct me if I am wrong, mom. Tom comes from a family with five siblings and I remember in middle school thinking "here comes that giant Petrini clan!" (In a nice way as they were ALL adorable and cute!) I have two brothers so three kids is "normal" to me.
Why is having a big family so wrong nowadays?
My life with three children is of course busy. There are certainly hard days. There are certainly great days though, too. Everyday there are smiles, giggles, cries, fighting, whining, hugs, kisses...and so much love. The bulletin board and fridge are covered with cute notes from Ella to Madeline about how much she loves her and drawings created of our family. I love when I catch Ella reading to Madeline in her bed. Or when they take turns dancing with Sam in the living room. To hear Madeline's sweet voice say "best family ever" melts my heart. But the house is also always loud. Toys are constantly being tripped over. Hair bows can often be found in my hair so I remember to put them away. Sam may or may not have choked on Rainbow Loom rubber bands before. Playdoh is permanently ground into our area rug. The laundry baskets are never empty. There will always be cheerios or Froot Loops hidden in the couch. A child is always needing/wanting something from snacks, to shoes being tied, to a diaper change. When I visit Ella's kindergarten class and realize her teacher keeps a quieter class of 22 children than I do three in my own home, I question my ability to parent. When the chaos is at a max, I look at Tom and yell "And you want ONE more to add to this?" And he smiles, and yells back "But I love all the life in this house!"
Yes, I guess I do, too.
So when you want to know how life with three children is, I will tell you.
It's busy. But it's beautiful. And we are blessed beyond measure. But no, no fourth baby anytime soon;)
I often wonder why two children is the "cap" now for babies. Everything after two and you are considered crazy. When I mention (on good days with my kids) that I want a fourth child, I swear people look at me with their giant saucer eyes and mouths gaped open uttering words like "whaaat? Seriously? No way. I could never do that". Then there are my few sweet friends who say "I could totally see you having another." (Love them the most!) I remember my uncle (he has 4 kids...three being triplets) saying "anything after two and just remember you'll always need a bigger hotel room on vacations". Ha! So true though! Why is it that my grandma and Tom's grandma had ten kids each and no one flinched? And I do not remember ever seeing pictures of a mini van or large vehicle in my grandparent's driveway. Correct me if I am wrong, mom. Tom comes from a family with five siblings and I remember in middle school thinking "here comes that giant Petrini clan!" (In a nice way as they were ALL adorable and cute!) I have two brothers so three kids is "normal" to me.
Why is having a big family so wrong nowadays?
My life with three children is of course busy. There are certainly hard days. There are certainly great days though, too. Everyday there are smiles, giggles, cries, fighting, whining, hugs, kisses...and so much love. The bulletin board and fridge are covered with cute notes from Ella to Madeline about how much she loves her and drawings created of our family. I love when I catch Ella reading to Madeline in her bed. Or when they take turns dancing with Sam in the living room. To hear Madeline's sweet voice say "best family ever" melts my heart. But the house is also always loud. Toys are constantly being tripped over. Hair bows can often be found in my hair so I remember to put them away. Sam may or may not have choked on Rainbow Loom rubber bands before. Playdoh is permanently ground into our area rug. The laundry baskets are never empty. There will always be cheerios or Froot Loops hidden in the couch. A child is always needing/wanting something from snacks, to shoes being tied, to a diaper change. When I visit Ella's kindergarten class and realize her teacher keeps a quieter class of 22 children than I do three in my own home, I question my ability to parent. When the chaos is at a max, I look at Tom and yell "And you want ONE more to add to this?" And he smiles, and yells back "But I love all the life in this house!"
Yes, I guess I do, too.
So when you want to know how life with three children is, I will tell you.
It's busy. But it's beautiful. And we are blessed beyond measure. But no, no fourth baby anytime soon;)
3 comments:
That was really a very insightful, beautiful post & I love that you can even think about a 4th (I remember the ride to the airport after you had Sam - when Tom was ALREADY talking about having a 4th, 5th etc) It is definitely harder for you with all the moves & deployments, but you do it with such ease that I am always just amazed! I love you! xoxo
I LOVE this post!! I am so there, right there. I come from a big family and now days it's almost unheard of or abnormal to some. I say enjoy it, soak it up and do what you feel is right. I know one thing, we are loved! ;)
Beautifully written my friend! :)
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