Being a mom of three kids is its own brand of chaos. Here are a few of the funny (and sadly true) realizations I’ve had in my first month as a mom of three little boys.
Before we had our third child, people always told me how hard it is to have three kids. As parents, you’re finally outnumbered. As the daily caregiver, you no longer have enough hands to hold on to all of the children at once when you’re walking across a parking lot. Not even the Costco shopping carts can hold all the kids you have in tow.
For whatever reason, something about having three kids seems to tip the scales from semi-doable to complete chaos.
We’re a month into our journey of having three kids now, and whew! I am definitely feeling the extra mental weight of caring for an additional human being. Having three kids to keep track of schedules for, to feed, to clothe, to discipline, to love, to teach, and to keep alive each day has pushed my capacity as a mom and a person to (and sometimes seemingly beyond) my limits.
I love these little kiddos with all my heart, and they are worth all the energy I pour into raising them, but man am I exhausted. Every. Single. Day.
If there was any doubt, here are a few of the ways I KNOW I’m the mom of three very active and sometimes crazy little boys. Hopefully, some of you can relate…
You know you’re the mom of three young kids when…
…you have to call your Kindergarten son’s school three minutes before school’s out for the day to ask them to keep an eye on your child for a few extra minutes. Why? Because you just discovered that the three-year-old lost your car keys while you were nursing the baby. Perfect.
…your luxurious master bathtub gets used more often by your toddler than it does by you because it keeps him occupied for a few precious moments–long enough for you to take a quick shower that makes you feel human (or at least half-human) again.
…getting six hours of sleep–even with multiple interruptions to feed the newborn–seems like a full night of rest.
…you finally decide that ordering everything humanly possible online–including groceries–is totally worth the service fee and shipping.
…you start to wonder if your gigantic piles of laundry might actually win the battle for control of your house.
…you don’t even bother to change your clothes after the baby spits up on your shirt because it matches the spot on your pants from earlier, so you figure the new stain really pulls your outfit together.
…you realize a month after baby three is born that you haven’t taken any pictures of him since two days after you left the hospital. Whoops. But really, when did you have time to set up a cute DIY photo shoot?
…rather than stopping your toddler from imagining he’s a dog and eating the pile of cereal he just spilled on the kitchen floor (again, while you were feeding the baby), you encourage it. If he eats it, you won’t have to sweep it up later.
…your house is constantly being transformed into a knight’s castle, a bear cave, a race track, or a volcano spewing lava…and it pretty much looks like a toy volcano exploded. You tell yourself you’re allowing them to develop creativity, but mostly you just don’t have the energy to clean up.
It’s been quite an adventure this past month, and something tells me we’re only getting started. I’m pretty sure these little boys are going to keep me on my toes for years to come. And that’s okay. It’s what I signed up for…the sleepless nights and the snuggles. The giant messes and the belly laughs. The dog piles and the ridiculous knock-knock jokes. The good, the bad, and the poopy.
Bring it on.
Hilarious! The funniest stuff is always just the stuff of real life that we can all relate to, and while I only have 2 little ones, this made me laugh because it’s motherhood and I’m still in the trenches with you! I just gave my son a stern lecture on how that fort could only stay in the living room until the end of the night PERIOD…it was up for 3 days because like you mentioned I didn’t have the energy to deal with it or for another lecture, LOL! I love how your keeping your sense of humor and finding the funny through it all, mama!
Thanks, Marquita! And it’s true… The more kids I have, the more I decide there are fewer battles that are worth fighting, so I save my energy for the ones that are.
Oh man, the kindergarten pick up one made me laugh your loud. Totally agree the belly laughs make it all worth it!
I’m glad I could give you a laugh. The kindergarten story just happened a couple weeks ago, and while I was definitely NOT laughing at the time, I think it’s pretty hilarious now.
I don’t have 3 kids, I have 2 but I can totally relate to some of these especially ordering everything online! LOL!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
With one kid, I used to go shopping just to get out of the house! Now, I choose VERY carefully which stores I am willing to take my kids to. Oh how things change!
Haha I love this. I only have 2 little people but I can totally relate! Especially to the keeping the toddler entertained in the tub! It’s the best thing ever… until I think about cleaning up the lake of water he makes outside the tub! Haha the joys of motherhood. It deffintly keeps me laughing!
Oh the water…ugh. I know. I just put a towel on the floor and hope it catches most of it.
LOL! I love this post! So much truth!
Oh mama! You know I feel every word in this post! My littlest is a few days past four months and I’ve completely missed his last two “month” photos 🙁
Well, I did finally take pictures…specifically so I could write this post, but I forgot to use the cute stickers…oops.
I laughed so much reading this post! I don’t have 3 boys, but I can relate to all of this, with my twin girls! Enjoy this crazy, fun time!
I can only imagine how many more crazy moments there are with twins. My sister has twins…and oh how my hat goes off to you twin mamas.
Master bathtub as a toddler jail? What a FANTASTIC idea!
Necessity is the mother of invention! You do what you gotta do to get a shower. 🙂
So this is a glimpse at what life may be life for me if we do decide to have a third.
hahahaha! Yes momma! Fellow mom of 3 here… and you are not alone. The laundry is a losing battle for sure. My youngest is 10 months old and STILL never sleeps. Exhausted is just my state of existence now. I constantly tell myself I need to get organized and get things together…but well… Ive got 3 kids. ;P
i smiled all through this post! yes indeed raising boys is very different from raising girls.
Mom of three boys over here too! My youngest was born when my oldest just barely 3.5, so I know this life all too well 😉 It’s hard, but I think 7 months into it we’re finally in a really good groove over here! 🙂 You’re doing great momma! Boy Moms Unite!
Thanks, Nikki! I love finding other boy moms in the world!