Experienced moms know it’s the silence that should terrify you. If you have enough uninterrupted quiet to get anything productive accomplished, you better go search for your children, especially during the toddler years. For example, there was a day I had sipped hot coffee, responded to an email and reached for my coffee cup once again when I realized it had been silent too long.
“Guys? What are you doing?” I called, knowing it would not end well.
As I entered their room, I let out a sigh. The destruction I saw was my own fault. I had enjoyed the silence instead of being suspicious of it. They smiled and ran past me, laughing one by one, as I surveyed the room around me. The drawers had been emptied, the diapers were tossed everywhere, the closet was thrown open, and blankets, clothing and hangers covered each bed and the floor. The blinds were askew, and the curtains hung off the rod. It couldn’t have been longer than five minutes, but the damage was done. As I began to clean up, I realized it was silent again.
I entered the kitchen, and in unison all three shouted, “Snack!” One sat on a pantry shelf with his fist in the cereal box, passing the contents to the others as they all dropped crumbs and pieces all over the floor. After letting out a groan, I gave each a bowl of cereal, swept the rest into a pile and reached for my now ice-cold coffee. “At least I have a constant source of material,” I said aloud for no one to appreciate.
As a child, I loved writing stories and had dreams of growing up to be a published author. As life became busy and I became a mom, I set my dreams aside to fit in all my other responsibilities. Three kids later, I rekindled my love for writing by starting a family blog. The dream of being a published writer once again seemed possible as I prepared to send my third child to preschool for a few days a week, giving me more time to work on my writing skills. About the time I turned in our preschool registration forms, I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant a fourth time. I was determined not to give up on writing and used the opportunity to document my pregnancy.
As with most pregnancies, we had an ultrasound scheduled for 21 weeks gestation. My husband and I decided we would find out the gender of our new addition. Not only did we learn the gender, we also found out we were expecting not one baby but three! I was pregnant with triplets! The next few months were a blur of rushing to purchase extra cribs, baby gear and a vehicle to seat a family of eight.
The triplets were born in September of 2014 and are now active, destructive and loving toddlers I have to potty train, feed and clean up after in addition to taking care of our three older children. Most of the time, I love being a mom with a big family. However, the truth is that going places is a pain, my house is always a mess, and the kids fight like normal siblings. The kids all have their own challenges we help them work through, and it can be very overwhelming, even on a good day.
The unexpected addition of our triplets has taught me so many things and forever changed my outlook on life—for the better. One thing I have learned and want to share with parents, regardless of how many children they have, is they don’t have to give up on what they enjoy just because they are busy. My timing for starting a writing career may not have been ideal, but if I waited for the perfect time, I am sure it would never come. Writing is my sanity and makes me feel refreshed and ready to tackle another day of diapers, snacks, laundry and chaos. I get up early in the morning, stay up late at night, sneak out to coffeehouses when my husband comes home from work and pray for the triplets to nap so that I can write my heart out. I have been a mom for 12 years, but I have been a writer my whole life and am not willing to give it up again. What is your passion? I encourage you to pursue it even in the busiest, most challenging times. Your whole family will benefit from a fulfilled and happy mom or dad.
Sarah Lyons is a mom of six children, including 6-year-old triplets. She has had hundreds of articles published in more than 90 parenting, family and women’s magazines.