Three kids bring so much joy, chaos and love into your life. They also bring endless dishes, more fights in the car than I care to admit and a dirty house I never thought possible. Let's not even talk about the car that looks like it should be cleaned out wearing a hazmat suit!
Three kids simultaneously bring together and pulls apart the two parents responsible for them. It brings you together with knowing looks when a kid does something at bedtime...because bedtime with three kids is a lot of work and best to be tackled as a team. It pulls you apart when at least one always ends up in your bed. Then there's the playing you against each other. Who knew it started at such a young age?!
When you have three kids, people stop inviting you places. Three kids is just a lot and seems to be the tipping point. No longer are you invited over for dinner or invited to large gatherings...because everyone is afraid you will show up with your three loud, unpredictable kids. Which is ironic because that is probably the last thing you want to do! People also stop offering to watch your three kids. Because, well, three kids is a lot of chaos and noise. Did I mention the fighting? That is like 93% of the chaos and noise.
Three kids is also when you have to start lying when you book a hotel room, because most occupancy rates are for four people. It's also when you have to pay out the wazoo for a rental car because good luck getting three car/booster seats across, not to mention trying to fit all that luggage in the trunk of a car!
But here's the thing, even with all the public humiliation (hello tantrums, I'm talking about you!), the lack of help, and the lack of sleep, I wouldn't change a thing. I.wouldn't.change.a.thing. All those kisses and hugs. All the bedtime snuggles. All the cheesy kid jokes. All the times they are actually playing well together make it worth it. Not to mention, I already loathe the day when I have a silent home from everyone being gone. But it won't be silent for long. Because even if my kids choose to have ten kids each, I will be there to help. I will be there to play. I will be there to love.
In the mean time, I hope my three kids remember their childhoods as ones full of laughter, love, hugs and mom reading to them. And maybe, just maybe, also one that taught them some life skills, like how to get along with others in close quarters, how to scrub a toilet, how to do the laundry and how to choose joy.
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