My children are little enigmas.
They’re so ridiculously cute and sweet with their soft, smooth skin, big, bright eyes and gorgeous, baby-like voices.
They’re also demanding, exhausting and sometimes even downright disgusting.
One minute, they’ll stop what they’re doing and look up at me and smile with their tiny little perfect teeth, wrinkling their gorgeous, freckled noses and say “I love you Mommy! You’re the best!” And then the next thing I know they’re yelling“JUICE!!!” at me at the top of their lungs to indicate they’re thirsty before running off to play in the toilet water.
Ah, kids.
So why on earth would you ever want three of them? I have three children age 6 and under and I’ll let you in on a little secret. They’re ridiculously fun. Since having my third kid, I’ve experienced more chaos, noise and exhaustion than ever before – but I’ve also had more love and happiness in my life than I ever thought imaginable.
If you’re on the fence about adding more kids to your clan, here are just 5 reasons why you should have three of them:
1. You’ll really stop sweating the small stuff. The first kid is generally the ‘test child’. You have no idea what you’re doing, but you’ll try it out anyway and then learn from your mistakes. With the second kid, you’re still cautious about your parenting. You’ve likely learned more, but you can still be a touch nervous. By the third child, you practically let them raise themselves. They learn that sometimes they have to wait. Sometimes they can’t have what they want the minute they want it. The tantrums don’t seem to rattle you anymore. And you realize that they’ll be okay if they have a soother until they’re 4 or don’t walk until way later than the neighbour’s kid. You have the knowledge that everything is probably going to turn out okay and as a result, you can relax a whole lot more.
2. You’ll always have someone around to snuggle. Kids are busy little creatures. And they always seem to be mastering some new skill which means they’re too busy for a good, long snuggle with Mom & Dad. Unless, of course, you have three. There’s always bound to be one kid up for a cuddle. When my 6-year-old is too busy reading or coloring to actually stop and let me snuggle her – I curl up with my 4-year-old on the couch. When my 4-year-old doesn’t want to stop playing, I snuggle the 6-year-old and talk about her day. And on the days when everyone is too busy or too distracted – I can always rely on my 2-year-old to melt into my body for a long, reassuring cuddle before bed.
3. Life will be louder and sillier and chaotic. But that’s how life should be, shouldn’t it? I want my days to leave me exhausted, but happy. Tired, but overflowing with laughter. And you can absolutely do all that with one or two kids. But when you throw another kid into the mix, life just gets more everything. And I welcome it with open arms.
4. Big(ish) families are fun! There’s always someone to play with. To share inside jokes with. You’ll always have someone cheering you on. To curl up and watch TV with. I love our loud, rousing dinner conversations during the holidays. Three kids puts us into the category of a bigger family. And it really is a lot of fun.
5. You’ll finally be complete. If you’re even a little unsure about whether you’re done or not, it probably means your family is not yet complete. At least, that was my experience. I thought I was done after two. I was very happy and content. I loved everything about my life. Yet, when my third little baby came into my life, I realized I was waiting for her. And now, our family is whole.
