Being of mum of three is wonderful, I love parenting children at quite different stages in their childhood. Good job really seeing as we have a teen, tween and toddler (are you still a toddler at 3?) However having age gaps between them just adds to the fun. I value that Chloe at 13 can be left with Erin whilst I quickly pop somewhere or she can take her to the park for twenty minutes.
Yet being a parent to three is busy and there are things you should know….
The first thing I wasn’t told is that you seem to spend ages putting washing on, hanging it out and then sorting it out and ironing. It is one of the things people don’t warn you about when becoming a mum of three children. They never tell you how much time will be spent washing, my integrated washing machine certainly earns it’s money. On the plus side no more school uniform washing for six weeks now it is the holidays!
Secondly you need a seven seater car. As soon as one of them has a friend over you haven’t got enough seats and space in the car. When pregnant with Erin I traded in my beautiful little mini for a whacking big touran – essential! You also spend hours driving between different sports clubs, schools and activities – normally you need to be in two or three places at the same time.
Saturdays become busier than school runs. Erin has swimming at 9.30 in Cheltenham, Dylan football at 10 in Gloucester and Chloe dancing at 11,. Your day of rest, with lazy Saturday mornings and pub lunches are a thing of the past, at least for the next 20 years.
Cooking means I ended up feeding different people at different times – five people in a household with different tastes and preferences thank goodness for school dinners on the busiest days. I often cook at different times and during the week we struggle to all sit and eat a meal together, that happens at the weekend.
Two seems so much easier than three! When one of three is away, be it at cub-camp or sleeping at friends or on a school residential life seems so much easier! It doesn’t matter which one is away, it just makes everything easier. I know friends of two say the same when they are left with one. But on the very rare occasions I am left with none I feel like my arm has been ripped off, I am a little lost withut them, not complete.
Many hotels and day trips accommodate a traditional family of four. Five becomes expensive especially if you need to start having two rooms rather than one. It also means that on your holiday you will staying in a different room to your other half. The day trips often don’t include in the third child – what are you supposed to do leave them at home??
Your garden resembles a toy shop, with trampolines, scooters, football goals, swingball, bikes and trikes. One day I will have a garden with pretty flowers and decking and it will be relaxing. Until then I will have a noisy, fun filled garden with no grass as it has all been trampled down and broken flowers that have been beheaded by a football.
Finally you are up early in the morning due to the toddler, yet late to bed because of the teen. You don’t get much’ you’ time, but would I have it any other way – NO, not a chance! I love being a mum of three.
3 Responses
The hotel thing really annoys me! We have a couple of months left we can all stay in a room until baby man turns 2 x
I love it too, but I agree it’s hard work!! I was one of three so always wanted three. I wanted them all close together with a year in between but my the time my first two were 1 and 2 , I decided to wait as it was hardcore, so there is four years between my second and third. It still works though and they are very close. They haven’t really got to the ages where they have time away and my husband currently has a three year job away from home (all week and several weekends) so I am essentially a single mum alot of then time, so I find the clubs thing impossible and have had to cut down on that, as the oldest has ADHD she can’t really do waiting while the others take part in clubs. However, I am just investigating booking the Lego Land hotel for us all after Matilda has finished her 6th surgery and they do rooms for 5 as standard!! Result!!
You have just summed up my life perfectly. Nobody appreciates how busy being a mum of three can be, especially with the older kids and all the activities. Although I don’t have a teen, a tween and a toddler – I have two tweens and a nearly tween!