Monday, February 11, 2008

Surviving the Early Years

This past weekend, we attended a wedding reception and were seated
with a couple that has five kids, from ages 10 to 19, who were all
also at the reception. I couldn't take my eyes off the kids, as they
enjoyed each other's company and interacted so genuinely and happily
with one another. The father told me they had changed diapers for ten
years and had just as long of sleepless nights, but were glad now that
they had had all five and that the kids were all so close in age. As
I sat there talking with him, I couldn't help but miss my own kids,
and wonder if we'll have any more, or if Jada and Aaron will be as
nice to each other as these five kids sitting at the next table over.

Of course, the very next day, Aaron was an absolute beast, throwing
down his milk bottle and slapping away spoonfuls of baby food and
shrieking on the ground. And Jada's nighttime tantrums went well past
10 o'clock, necessitating multiple trips up and down the stairs and
leaving me wired at a dangerously late hour for someone who's up at 4
every morning just to catch some free time for myself before the
whirlwind of parenting and work and life starts up again.

So maybe we'll just stick with two for now. Or maybe we'll entertain
the thought of one more or more. Either way, kudos to all of you
parents of lots of kids. How you made it, I may never know.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, my name is Keelan and I am the eldest of the five children. I wanted to thank you for this. My mom showed me the post this morning when I brought her flowers for Valentines day and she really appreciated it. Thank you so much. :)

Anonymous said...

I am Kyle, Nashville, TN, friend of the family of five children and I share your awe at the beauty of their relationship. They have welcomed our son, Coop, who attends NCST into this already full house, as though he were child number six. Every time we visit they invite us to stay with them, and we can't resist sharing the energy and love of their home.