We've added a new child to our family every 18-months for the past five years (for a total of three kids under six at present count) and it has made things a little...complicated.
I can't say I wasn't warned. My mother, who had closely spaced children herself, told me when I announced I was pregnant with Baby #3, "Yeah, once have that third one it occurs to you the first time you go to cross the street that you are just out of hands."
And she had a point. I cannot always manage to contain two highly-active boys and a 23-month-old girl whose legs move faster than her brain as I maneuver through my day. And so I often find myself relying on the kindness of strangers.
It's not uncommon to find me at the zoo calling out to fellow Moms,
"Will you grab that little blonde boy? He's making a break for it!"
People at the park lend a hand as they block my daughter from escaping the playground with cries of,
"Woah, slow down little one! Let's wait for Mommy!"
I can't count the number of times I've enlisted the help of a random 9-year-old at an indoor playground to "shimmy up there and see if you can track down my kid for me".
These people I do not know make it possible for me to survive outings with my kids, wait in post office lines, and even fly cross-country with my threesome. I hope that my interactions with so many people throughout the day is teaching my kids what it is like to function as part of a community, and I know that I'm grateful to everyone who has lent a hand, large or small.
So if you're struggling and overwhelmed -- whether with one kid or six -- don't be afraid to ask for a little help. In my experience most people are more than willing to lend a hand.
