Multi-Child Syndrome

***NOTE: I started this blog 10 days ago. I am just now finding the time to finish it****


This week, J and I were given an amazing opportunity and we jumped on it like kids in a ball house. My mom offered to take the two older boys for a week. To her house. While we stayed home. With just one child.

We drove the 2 hours down, went to the beach as an entire family, then patted our boys on the head, admonished them to listen very well from Grammy, hugged and kissed them, and drove home with only Soren in the car. And I thought, This is going to be AWESOME! This is the first time that both boys have been away for an entire week. And for both of them to be away at the same time? Bonus!

Yes yes I miss them like crazy. It's definitely too quiet at times here in the house. Like night time. I'm unused to the peace and quiet from 7:30-9pm. It just completely surreal. But we call them every evening after dinner, and J and I take turns talking to each child, and they are both having the time of their lives. And so far, 5 days into their trip, they still don't want to come home. And that's cool with me.


But I definitely miscalculated one on thing, and in hindsight I realize I was a total dork for doing so. I was under the idiotic mathematical assumption that 3(kids)-2(kids) =1(kid) = easier to handle.

With 2 boys gone, Soren realized he was out of playmates. And despite my excessive attempts to get down on the floor and let him know I was available for play time, he ultimately decided I suck as a playmate. Because no matter what I tried, no matter how often I dropped to the ground and tried to gauge exactly what it was he was looking for, he would not stop whining.

Or crying.

Or crawling around whining and crying.

...searching for his brothers.

And this went on ALL. WEEK. LONG.

I had a lot planned for this week, since I figured I would have extra time. HAHAHA, it's so funny now, as I write ten days later to think of how utterly naive I was.  And truly thats what it was. I was completely naive thinking hey! one kid is going to be sooo much easier to deal with than 3! Because I forgot a few important things that never really hit me until now:

1. Having 3 kids, while chaotic = insta friends for one another. And while they may try to beat the crap out of each other here and there, they really never (purposely) go for blood.

2. While there are times when all 3 flip out at the same time, as if by some signal wired to their brain instantly, for the most part when I am dealing with one child freaking out, the other 2 can assure each other that thank goodness this time Mom wasn't yelling at them. 

3. When Mommy is trying to work or go to the bathroom by herself in piece, I can ask the older one to please entertain the baby by building a block tower and letting him destroy it a la Godzilla, for just a few minutes. Yes, I make my kids work for me sometimes.=)

4.Soren has never, EVER, been without his brothers for more than 3 hours at a time. Ever.

So after a week of dealing with the nonstop whining, confusion, sadness and tears from Soren, Xavier and Ashe finally returned home to a very welcome homecoming. My mom asked why Soren didnt enjoy the fact he was an only child. And the truth is, he has never been one so why would that make him happy? I get that now.