They Grow Up So Fast

My Better Half and I have noticed a very interesting phenomenon. Whenever we are out and about with only our 3-month old daughter, people are so quick to offer advice to us seemingly first time parents!

How could they know that we have six children between us and that we are old pros at this “raising kids” thing??

It happened again last night. I was doing some late night shopping and a man saw my daughter in the shopping cart as he packed his own car and said “Wow. I remember when mine were that little. And NOW look at them! They grow up so fast! You watch and see!”

I then said politely, but eagerly awaiting his gasp of amazement and horror with almost sinister glee, “Oh, I know. This is our SIXTH child between us. Our oldest is 11-years-old.

And yes, he DID gasp with amazement and horror. SIX children?!?!

It’s funny because we just moved from one of the most liberal cities in America where telling people you had so many kids (and back then we had FIVE) was tantamount to taking a butcher knife and ripping the ozone in half with your own bare hands. We were called “breeders” behind our backs by the enlightened socialists of the Bay Area.

We are now living in a much more family friendly environment, but the amazement continues.

Oftentimes the response is something like “I can’t even manage TWO children” or “I can’t imagine being able to handle so many” or “Congratulations on being able to juggle so much!”

The truth is I can’t juggle my checkbook and my car keys at the same time. But somehow, we manage just fine with our very own Brady Bunch.

It’s honestly not as scary as you might think that it is and nowhere near as difficult as even I thought it would be. Somehow you just figure out a way to do it! Like most things in life, it just kind of takes care of itself.

But inbetween the shuffling off to basketball practice or a karate tournament and making dinner for 8, remember to enjoy them while they are young.

They grow up so fast.

But you probably already knew that.