Monday, June 10, 2013

Ah-ha. It's Ok to Say No When you Have 500 Kids

I recently wrote about the art/power of saying no.

But there's also a certain amount of grace necessary to accept no from someone.

Going from two kids to three has been quite challenging for us.   I feel like I have 500 children, not three.   (Ok, yes, I'm exaggerating...but it is very overwhelming!)

I have friends with four, five, six, seven, eight kids...and now having three, I'm finally getting it.

I get why they cancel playdates more often than they attend.

I get why they serve lunch at 10:30 a.m. and dinner at 4:30.

I get why they run out of milk, eggs, bread, and cheese.

I get why they seem a little (or a lot) dazed all the time.

I get why bedtime is not to be compromised.


Because, I'm starting to do it too.

The other day, I tried to put contact drops in my ears instead of my eyes.

I have to cancel plans about half the time.

Sometimes we have dinner at 4:30, and sometimes it's served at 7:30.

Attempting to accomplish anything or reason with children after 5:00 p.m. is pointless.

I am always multitasking---physically and mentally.

Bedtime is NOT EVER to be compromised for my safety and sanity. 


So when you have friends with multiple children, or a friend with just a few kids (but perhaps one has a special need or one is particularly needy), have the grace to say, "No problem!" when they cancel your plans...again!    Be the friend who doesn't attempt to add guilt to the shame they might already feel.  

We are all busy.  We all have stress.

We all need grace from one another.

4 comments:

  1. My mom tells me that she was a fantastic housekeeper until she had her 3rd child. Somehow Bekah just sent her over the edge and the dishes didn't matter anymore.

    I like your last point about giving grace for moms who cancel. I think that point can be extended - give ALL people grace who cancel. We don't know the intimacies of a person's life, and even if we're looking at a single, young, healthy person, he or she may have way more going on then we're privy to.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this :) We went from 2 kids to 4 kids in the span of a couple of months(one added through foster care and one through adoption). I used to be organized, on time, calm, cool and collected-- not anymore!! (but that's ok- its all worth it!).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh how I love this post. I love love LOVE this post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's true that we all need a little more grace and empathy. Lovely post! The structure of the sentences kind of reminds of me that poem from Ten Things I hate About You!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated and published upon approval. Your thoughts and questions are also welcome via e-mail at whitebrownsugar AT hotmail DOT com.