A few stats
A couple of my friends are pregnant with their 4th child and a handful is pregnant with their 3rd. I feel so lucky to be a member of the get-a-tv-in-your-bedroom-why-doncha crowd and was beginning to think (for the first time!) what this really means as the kids continue to grow and get bigger.
- 3 new backpacks every August
- 3 car insurances to pay for, given all 3 have good grades
- 3 graduation parties
- 3 college applications (times however many schools each applies to)
- 3 spouses to add to our family
- 3 cell phones someday
The list could go on forever but holy shit, y'all. This is looking costly and cluttery. I mean, 5 cell phones charging on the kitchen counter? I can't stand the thought. And 3 backpacks with shoes and sweatshirts? Where is all that crap going to go? Not in my livingroom, mark my words. I'm going to have to become creative and organized here in the next few years it seems.
This all led me to think about some of the other things in our life and how they add up. Here are a few numbers:
- On average a a child (from infancy to potty training) goes through approximately 8,000 diapers. Hello, 24,000 diapers!
- The average family does 300 loads of laundry per year. We're not average, let me tell you.
- My children take a bath 365 days a year. Times THREE.
The one stat I couldn't find was how many carseat buckles a mom's fingers do on average in a year. Then I realized why I couldn't find that stat. COMPUTERS CAN'T COUNT THAT HIGH.
Love it all. Wouldn't change one single thing, not even the number of loads of laundry, or number of diapers. For reals.
And believe me it works the other way as well. Things that looked so "big" and "important" then often have absolutely no relative meaning in the present. Soooo, enjoy everything, little and big....and be not negative about the little or the big, for later most of the negatives are insignificant and you can enhance ALL the positives with selective memory!
ReplyDeletei have really started to focus on the children and where they are at in their lives. i cried when i put lakota to bed on the night of her 5th birthday. like, seriously broke down. i think about ryan being 9 years old and how in 9 months he will be a two digit number and that is gonna make cry again. love you and your kids, chris isnt so bad himself, lol.
ReplyDeleteWith my oldest daughter applying to college in 2011, and no one in diapers anymore, I can tell you that the time of car seats and sippy cups will seem like a blink to you in a few years. Give your kids all your attention when they tell you those great stories. Stare at them and soak it in. There's a quote about how children won't remember what you gave them, but they will remember how you made them feel. The little things really are the big things. And, for the backpacks, make a mud room or cubby area in or near the garage! :)
ReplyDeleteDo they really get new backpacks every year? Do they get that damaged? Ryan has a bag for preschool with the school logo on it, this is year 3 and its still fine. Ofcourse its only a few days a week and only has to hold paper/art projects. I just had no idea that backpacks got that messed up. I didn't get a new one every year...or I don't remember.
ReplyDeleteBuy your backpacks at LL Bean.
ReplyDelete^ that is the extent of my advice!