When you have the first child, it's not that difficult. If compared to basketball, you could say you're able to Double-Team the child. Once child #2 is born you have to change strategies from Double-Team to Man-to-Man. And that's still fine because I can take a child and Lisa can take a child and we're good to go. But then #3 is born. This is where things start to REALLY change. The defense changes from Man-to-Man to a Zone Defense. The tides have changed. It's 3-on-2 now and the kids have the tactical advantage. With #4 the defense changes again, except that the PARENTS are being Double-Teamed by the kids. So we're still doing a Zone Defense. But the good thing about 4 kids is the fact that Lisa and I both have 2 hands. We can each hold a child's hand in each of our hands so everyone feels the love.
So what the heck do we do when #5 arrives? It alters the dynamics drastically because someone is getting left out. OH!!! But guess what?!? The oldest is now 12 and is perfectly capable of fending for himself. He can hunt and eat small animals that he can find in the neighborhood all by himself. SO KIDDING. But there is some truth to that. The oldest can even assist the smaller kids when our hands aren't enough. And it works well. He learns responsibility and gets a taste of what his parents have done for him the past 12 years.
Then there's all the money we spend on kids. Food, driving to school and soccer games and blah, blah, blah. Lisa was a sporty kid. She played softball, volleyball, etc. until 9th grade. And she still has the calf muscles to prove it. So all of our kids are involved in some kind of sport. Bryce's first 5 years were spent at a baseball field and now it's switched to soccer. He's pretty good too. Blake liked soccer, but it was a little too fast for him. If you know Blake, he's one relaxed kid. So swimming is more his thing now. Kid has an amazing backstroke. Mitchell has always played soccer and Mallory has yet to enter the age of sports. She'll likely choose tumbling or dance, knowing that little girly girl.
What am I getting at? I don't know. Maybe it's that families are expensive and time-consuming and crazy. But guess what? I wouldn't change it for the WORLD!!!
[Mitchell and Maya at the last game]
3 comments:
Interesting, the dynamics of a family. For instance, I remember when I added the third child. The noise level went to "deafening". Hence, the addition of a fourth child was a walk in the park, because the noise level was already so high I couldn't tell a difference with the fourth kid. Now, the fifth kid for some reason threw us a bit--was it the odd number? Don't know. BUT I do remember that oldest child coming in handy to help out with the young uns--he was 12 just like Bryce when the 5th kid arrived!
You know, everyone says that it is so the way you say. In my experience though I babysat some pretty awful children that I would never wish upon another human being, so when I had my three it was a breath of fresh air. Since I had had five and sometimes more before Tysen and Emma came along.
I can relate to the odd Five!Fun thoughts! But, whatever the number in a persons family, it's a ride you wouldn't get off of. Yeah for Blake! I'm a real swimming fan!
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