Commetnary by Heather Kestian
The kids are all packed up this morning and on their way to daycare. Do you hear that? No, you don’t! It is quiet!
I am about to embark on a trip for work and I said my good-byes to the family. This is a short trip, a mere 36 hours away from home. I will miss them terribly but I must admit, I am going to love the quiet. I may find myself asking complete strangers – do you hear that? I will likely chuckle to myself at the answer.
In all seriousness, having three boys is bananas. Someone always has something to say and most of the time someone else says, “IT’S MY TURN!” I heard once that the loudest sound on the planet is the shriek of a 3-year-old. Never have truer words been spoken.
I understand and empathize with my husband. He will be holding down the fort for 36 hours. He will be all alone with these hurricane force people. At least the baby is eating from a bottle now. For a while he was on some sort of hunger strike; as if to say, I know I will outlast you, my cries make your heart bleed! If he could talk, he would have said, ‘put that bottle away and everyone will be happier!’ Now, my husband has a way of feeding the wee one, which will save everyone.
A few weeks back, my husband flew the coop for work. The first night was crazy. If you knew anyone in this family, you would know that the Snickers commercial was made in our honor. A hungry Kestian is almost impossible to handle. When it gets really bad, you have to almost throw food at us. It is truly a sight to see and not in a good way. I broke down and ordered pizza for delivery just to get everyone a meal to stave off the hungry eyes. There were at least three rules broken to make that happen. First, we missed soccer practice because we couldn’t get everyone put together with one set of mommy hands. Second, I ordered pizza during the week. Third, I had the pizza delivered. I learned that life is so much more difficult with only one pair of adult hands to three pairs of kid hands.
For those parents who regularly go out of town for work, get your partner something really special – time off after you get back. They need it.
