Having Three Little Boys Means
I really can’t say no one told me. I had a little introduction to what life would be like with kids when I worked as a nanny for a brief period after college. The family had a five year old daughter and twin two-year-old boys, each as different as night and day, but it was only for eight hours a day and I was able to go to my own home at the end of the day, so I didn’t get the 24/7 hazing back then. Years later, my 24/7 on-the-job training as a mom has taught me that having three little boys means:
Dirt and goo. Lots of it, often of (thankfully) unknown origins.
Cleaning the kitchen floor every day to remove sticky goo.
Cleaning the bathroom every day because it takes years for boys to develop good aim.
Potty training may take longer than I would like.
Giving baths every night when the weather is good and they played outside, or at least having them run through the sprinkler or the hose before bedtime.
Having a full load of laundry just for the kids every three days.
Taking at least 30 minutes to get them ready to go anywhere, even if they want to go.
Adjusting to how boys really can relieve themselves any place, any time.
Wardrobes consist of jeans, shirts, and tennis shoes, and that’s it.
Finding crayons, toys, cars, and airplanes in the most unlikely places.
Jumping (on/off the stairs, out of the car, off the swings, out of trees, on the furniture).
Strategically planning grocery store runs to have one child or less in tow.
Learning that fire alarms should never be at child height nor be without some type of cover.
Adjusting to three different body clocks other than my own (one very early riser, one moderately early, and one late sleeper).
And…
Never having a private moment in the bathroom for Mommy, which is becoming a little awkward with the older boys who notice “things.”
As my husband always says, we aren’t getting cheated on the parenthood experience.
Original DC Metro Moms Blog post.
Andrea writes about her adventures in the kitchen at Andrea's Recipes and gives her opinion on products for home and garden at Andrea's Reviews.
