A recent study from TODAYmoms.com claims that three is the most stressful number of children to have. As a new-ish mom to three little girls, I believe it! And of course three is harder than two. You're outnumbered! But say what? They are telling me that adding another to my brood would actually make life easier? I don't know that I'm buying what you're selling todaymom.com.
So what's the story? Do you just get to be an expert on child rearing when you hit four+ kiddos? Or is it that you just give up on ever getting anything done again? The article seems to suggest a little bit of both. "There's just not enough space in your head for perfectionism when you get to four or more kids," claims Dr. Janet Taylor. And then later in the article Taylor says, "The more children you have, the more confident you become in your parenting abilities."
Another theory is that the older children start helping with the younger children as you add more. I can see that in a situation like The Duggar family, but when the oldest is only six, I'm not sure that the help they give would be enough.
My vote is that no matter how many kids you have, be it one or nineteen, we moms need to find some time to relax, to regroup, to recharge. One of my favorite activities every week is getting together with a group of moms and our two-year-olds. We started the weekly playgroup for our little ones who weren't quite ready for pre-school, but who needed some social time. It turns out, the moms needed some social time too! Even during the craziest of weeks, when I've barely had time to shower, let alone exercise, I love knowing I have my Thursday morning playgroup to look forward to!
So what do you do to keep your sanity? Meditation? Time out with friends? A day (or an hour) at the spa?
And we would love to hear from moms of four or more out there to tell us. Does it really get easier???
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