early
childhood
Life With Three Kids, in a Nutshell WRITTEN BY LORI JO BERG
“How is life with three kids?” This is one question I heard on repeat during the last year. Now, as we celebrate my third child’s first birthday, I am reflecting on what life really is like with more kids than adults. The highs are higher (think all kids laughing and playing together) and the lows are lower (think all kids needing something right now while at least two are crying loudly to show their situation is much worse than the other’s). I’ve come to accept that my husband and I really can’t talk – like, ever. It may be possible when all the kids are sleeping but only if we have the energy. I’ve learned that the word “uh-huh” was invented for moms. I never wanted to be that mom who just appears to be listening as she throws out standard mom responses, but here I am. Life with three has seemingly caused us to lose our ability to sit down altogether. Not being able to recall when I last showered has become the norm. Multitasking is at a new all-time high – teaching math to my oldest while listening to an in-depth story from my middle child and changing the baby’s diaper while the insurance company is on hold. Getting in and out of the car multiple times counts as my exercise routine.
Five minutes of silence is considered a break, and if you have gone to the bathroom all alone at least once, you’re truly winning. Taking all three kids to the pool is really not smart and not advised. Damage control sums things up nicely. If I had to describe it with a picture, it’s like jumping from one fire to the other with a small glass of water in your hand. In other words, you’re doing your best to keep things from getting too out of hand. There isn’t enough room for all three kids to ride in the shopping cart. Unless, that is, they all stand up but I’m not sure the stares are worth that. The standards for mealtimes are at an all-time low. If there’s more food in their bellies than on the floor, we’ll chalk that up as a successful dinner. I’m not sure camping is all that fun right now. We want it to be, so we go, and we wonder why we go, only to do it all over again the following weekend. Life with three is fulfilling, exhausting, action-packed, maddening, hilarious and a true test of patience. And of course, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Lori Jo is a Montana native, mother of three and freelance writer who enjoys writing about the tougher side of life and connecting with her audience on a deeper level. :: calendars, blog & more @ MTPARENT.COM ::
september 2021
31
