Juggling Children

I have two grown children, one will be 29 the day before valentine's day the other one is 23. When these two girls were little there was enough difference in their ages, 5 ½ years to be exact, that there was very little problem with having the girls be at events and/or activities. Juggling was just not an issue. It helped, of course, that we had family that had children close in age to the oldest one and grand parents that loved taking the youngest one with them everywhere.

Now that the girls are grown my husband and I have become foster parents. Our second group of children to foster was a sibling group of 3. We had our hands full with a 5 year old boy, and girls aged 4 and 2. The first week the children were with us the 4 year old got her arm stuck in the bars on the bed, and then started screaming that her arm hurt. After a trip to the hospital , I learned about milkmaid's elbow, where the bones in the elbow pull apart.. The doctor popped the bones back in place and all was well! While I was at the hospital , my husband was dealing with the other two at home. Divide and conquer.

One week after this trip to the hospital , I got a call from the daycare. The little girl was screaming again, but it was the other arm. This time a trip to the doctors office, another elbow out of joint. Fortunately the office was near the daycare so the other two stayed there while I went to the doctor.

During the ten months the children were with us, bouts with strep were often. While I stayed home from work with the sick child, my husband got the take the others to school . The two oldest children had to have sedation dentistry. While I had to be at the hospital at 6 am with these two , Daddy D(my husband) had to get the 2 year old up, dressed, fed and to daycare. Divide and conquer.

Once the 5 year old started to Kindergarten getting him to school, the girls to daycare and both myself and husband to school on time was a challenge. Getting everyone up and ready to get out the door by 7:15 was the only way to be successful. One of us had to take the boy the school the other the girls to daycare. Divide and conquer.

Our current household consist of a 5 year old boy, and sibling group that consist of a 4 year old girl and 2 year old boy. This mix of children ,and their needs, offer a challenge to my time management skills. Now that we have only one vehicle that will hold all of us, I am the person that has to make sure that we can get everyone where they need to be on time. The 5 year old played football last fall. Practice was every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. On some days Daddy D. would pick the boy up, bring him home, feed him , and dress him for practice. I would pick up the other two children from daycare, rush home, pick up the oldest child and head to the ball field. Since the other two children would not stay at home with Daddy D.(they were new to the home) we packed sandwiches and all headed to the ball park for practice. Saturday ball games were lots of fun, I never knew who would be going. On some days Daddy D would take the child to the ballgame and me and the other two catch up with them when doctor's visit , or other activities were finished. Divide and conquer.

Spring is soon approaching, the 5 year old wants to play baseball. We will have to work out the practice schedule, as we did the football schedule. It should be a interesting schedule since at the current moment I am unemployed and not sure what hours I might be working soon. Divide and conquer.

Fall will present new challenges for us. The 5 year old and the 4 year old will start kindergarten. The 5 year old will play football, the 4 year old wants to be a cheerleader. We are going to have to get another vehicle that holds more than 2 people if we are going to get everywhere we need to be. Divide and conquer.

We don't have relatives to help with these 3 like we did when we raised the first two. It's mostly up to me and Daddy D to get the children where they need to be. The next 16 years should prove to be interesting. I have come to appreciate those moms that get their children to ball practice, games, music lessons, supper fixed, and work. You never realize how much work all this takes until you have to do it yourself!