Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Having One

The older three boys have been back for a few days now, and things are pretty much back to normal--meaning the house is once again messy and they are fighting non-stop!  Calgon take me away!! (please tell me I am not the only one who remembers those commercials?)

Along with a neat home and no sibling bickering, I most enjoyed my one on one time with Christopher.






I often worry that Christopher (and to some extent Vinnie) gets slighted.

 When he was a baby and toddler, he never had the chance to watch shows like Sesame Street or Blues Clues--his big brothers ruled the TV and were watching the tweener shows on Disney and Nick.  (Recently Vinnie came across a picture of Big Bird- "Who is this yellow bird?" he asked.  "I don't know," said Chis.  What a travesty!)  No Wiggles music CD's for them (Vinnie listed a Lady Gaga song on his kindergarten "All About Me" poster!)

 Of course they never had the one on one time with Pete and I that the older 2 had- reading books at bedtime, hanging out at the park, etc...

 By kid number 4,  we were done with a lot of the little kid stuff--sippy cups, baby toys, etc, all cleared out to make room for bigger kid/teen stuff.

 We even got rid of our backyard play structure this summer to make room for a trampoline.

 Last week we had a great time together-school shoe shopping and the movies one day.  We spent the day at Gilroy Gardens another day.

 I do feel bad at times, but I also know it is inevitable.  Every family with multiple kids is in this same boat, right?  I tell myself he has other, maybe better things--he has 3 big brothers!  He always has someone looking out for him and playing with him.  He is learning life skills--sharing with others, negotiating, learning to compromise.
 And while it may only happen once or twice a year, I will cherish the alone time I do get with him.

2 comments:

Suzanne said...

Those times are precious. Let go of the guilt. It only taints the present moment.

Katie said...

I sooo remember the calgon commercials and I'm only 33! Nick and I joke about that all the time (and we only have two girls)! I imagine it is hard with 4 vs. 3 vs. 2 vs. 1, but there are pros and cons to every type of family. I bet the biggest con to having 4 boys running around creating chaos is you losing your sanity. ;)