Guest Writer: Stephanie Aurelus
Becoming a parent was something I have dreamt of for as long as I could remember. After getting married, I was more than sure that I wanted to start a family of my own. The road was not an easy one, but without faith and prayer, I would not have the ability to call myself a mother to my three amazing souls. Now that we got the backstory out of the way let’s talk about the fun stuff, the real stuff, which is being a parent to three children under the age of five.
You thought you read that last sentence wrong? No! You did not. As I sit here and write this blog, both my boys, Josiah and Noah, are currently four years old (no, they are not twins). They are ten months apart, which means every year for about one month and ten days they are the same age; I've had to explain this countless times. Last but not least, there’s my fifteen-month-old baby girl, Ariah Joy.
Raising toddlers who are all relatively the same age is honestly one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face in my life. I think back to about a year ago when both my boys had a stomach virus, and my husband and I spent the better part of the night changing out the blankets on their bed because, as you guessed, there was vomit everywhere. There was no time to think. We simply had to react since one would wake up and throw up, and within minutes, his brother would follow. Imagine that! Of course, this was only one of the many times that my children were sick simultaneously.
Fear, anxiety, and worry are some of the unexplainable emotions that I sometimes deal with as a response to being a parent of three toddlers. I mention all of this not to deter anyone from having children but to give you a glimpse of my life with raising multiples. There’s a saying that says, “It takes a village to raise your kids.” I did not understand the extent of that statement until I became a mother. Without my village, those unexplainable emotions that I previously talked about would be enormous. Having exceptional friends and family (your village) to help alleviate the load makes a world of a difference, especially when it comes to saving your sanity. It enables you to recharge and regroup so that you can continue on this journey called parenthood.
“God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with your testing, He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). I often get asked how it does it feel being a mother of three, and many, of course, wonder about the difficulties I must face, and my answer is always to quote the verse above. Raising three toddlers is exhausting and overwhelming, but it’s such a unique experience that also brings me immense joy. So on days when I think I can no longer handle the stress, I remember that my God never gives me more than I can bear. He is faithful even to get me through.
Stephanie Aurelus