You have 3 kids?!?!

That's the response that I get when I tell people about my children.  Yes, I have 3.

Is that odd?  Do I look under-qualified to raise 3 kids?  Why are you surprised?

Those are the questions that immediately pop in my head though I never ask them.  But, it's what brings me to this post.

My husband and I have lots of friends and about 90% of them are now married and since have had kids, most of which are all around the same ages as our own kids.  Kids kids everywhere.  Out of our close friends with kids, we are the only ones (with the exception of a few other couples) that have more than 2.  We are always asked, "we don't know how you do it with 3."  "I can barely do it with only 1."

Are you freakin' kidding me?

So, that gets me thinking back to the few short years when we had only 1 kid.  I think about the very beginning (which was tough).  And then I think back to her first holiday, than 1st Birthday, and so on.  I can't ever remember parenting her being a challenge.  It was just her.  I was essentially 2 against 1.  Automatically, we win.  She's outnumbered.  Right?  I mean, sure, there were tough times.  She was (and still is) a PICKY eater.  She didn't sleep through the night until almost 8 months.  But other than that, it was walk in the park.  She no other siblings to contend with or gang up against us with.

So, I can't figure out how these women (who are friends of mine) can sit and tell me how they can barely make it out alive with just one kid.  What is going on?  I know all kids come in different shapes, sizes, and levels of need, but come on.  Gimme a break.

It takes a lot for me  NOT to tell them to drop by my place when I'm trying to prepare dinner with all 3 kids and no husband home to help.  I'll gladly go get a pedicure and hand the reigns over to them for an hour while the 5 year is fighting with the 2 year old causing her to tantrum on the kitchen floor, along with the 10 month old who is trying to climb up your leg while your peeling vegetables.

Now, don't mistake the above for complaining.  It's not.  And I say that because I never once have gushed to another mom about how tough it is having 3 kids.  It was our choice to have that many.  We knew it was going to be tough.  It is, and we expected that.

I'm also not trying to toot my horn, because hell, there are plenty of people who have 4+ kids and never would I say how hard my 3 are.  Or, "I don't know how you do it with 5 kids."

You just do.

So anyway, I'm not sure where else I'm going with this.  It just all hit me today while we were at a birthday party and I was once again told, "I just don't know how you do it with 3"  "I can barely handle 1."  I just smile and nod politely and sometimes offer them validation of their statement, that yes, it is hard at times.  What I would like to say is...

"Are you freakin' kidding me?"