Three girls’ voices, all clamoring over one another to be the loudest, the most heard.
All the time, three voices, each clawing for my attention, begging for my time.
Three voices.
That’s a lot of noise, a lot of needs, a lot of responsibility.
I was born into my family as the only girl. I savoured Saturdays at the food court in the mall, just me and my mom, gabbing about life and feeling like a special kid with all the one-on-one time we shared. My younger brother shared a similar bond with my dad, but instead of the mall they could be found on the sports field. We both had a lot of one-on-one time with our parents.
That is NOT how things are going to look in our family. Three boisterous sisters, all born a mere two years apart from each other, and the one-on-one time is mighty hard to come by. This is new territory for me and I don’t want to blow it. I have an amazing relationship with my mom and so much of that is due to the quality time we shared, and I am scared that I won’t be able to replicate that with our three girls.
How am I to honour them individual needs and personalities when I am so often overwhelmed by their collective force?
Anyone been there and done that? Either on the giving or receiving end? Were you born into a big family with lots of siblings of the same sex to compete with? Or do you have kids in the same boat? How do you go about carving out the time to make sure they don’t just get lost in the shuffle?
you will raise them and they will raise each other and if you can find that way to have something special with each one. My daughter’s only sib is gone to Uni now and we long for the noise! Enjoy
I am the youngest of four. And I was four years younger than my sibs who were all close in age. I feel blessed because I had the beauty of a big family but by the time high school came, they were gone and I had my parents to myself. I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives of the big family! Just carve out special time every now and then. I still remember my parents taking me for a one-on-one dinner when I was really little – a strong memory.
I am the oldest of four girls (born within 8 years of each other). There was no such thing as alone time for us! The only time I ever remember alone time with either parent was getting a ride home from a late sports practice!
That being said, I (and I am quite sure all my sisters) have wonderful relationships with both my mom and dad. I never doubted that they loved each one of us…. It’s just that alone time was not how they showed it! They definitely recognized our individual personalities, but it was within that family setting (as it had to be).
I am sure you are doing a great job, and your kids will love you no matter how many Saturdays (or not!) you spend with them at the mall 🙂
Amanda, that sounds like a repeat of my family growing up. I am the oldest of three girls, all just under two years apart. I’m sure it must have been overwhelming for my parents at times, and we are still universally known to our cousins as, “the girls”, but honestly, I had THE. BEST. CHILDHOOD. And now? My two besties in the whole wide world, the two people who have my back no matter what? My sisters, of course.