Children are work

Children are a lot of work.

Before I had Owen, and had two boys, and knew I was going to have a third, many people would say "you are going to be busy".

And now that Owen is here, and the boys are off school or not in daycare, I can agree: I am busy.

I am busy with the kids from morning to night, and they require food, activities, social relationships, time to spend outside, and time to relax.  It all requires facilitating.

Children are a lot of work, and each individual child has their own unique needs.

A friend was over the other day, and was sharing her photos of her trip to Malaysia.  I showed what I had taken pictures of recently: the boys in a variety of natural environments.  Our lives are different, what we do is different, because I am looking after the needs of three young boys.

At times it is daunting; I had a minor freak out a few weeks ago when I realized I may have three boys playing soccer at the same time, and I saw my life as a series of evenings spent at the soccer field.

Ugh.

Double ugh.

I realized, though, that I do not need to worry about my life and how it will look five years down the road.  I need to enjoy the boys just for who they are today, and what we are going to do today, and who the boys are right now.

The project of raising a child is massive, beautiful, and intimate:  a balance between the details and big picture, and - I hope - a daily celebration of human relationships.