Full hands
I imagine every mom hears it from time to time, but lately, with my trio of tiny blondes in tow everywhere I go, I've been hearing it more and more:
"Wow, you sure have your hands full!"
And they're right, of course. Literally. When we go out to run errands, I am often wearing my newborn in the Snugli front pack, holding the hands of my 2-year-old and my 4-year-old, and carrying the diaper bag and my purse slung over my shoulder. My sunglasses are on my head. My car keys are sometimes in my teeth. "Hands full" doesn't begin to describe it.
And yet, I sometimes feel irritated when the fourth or fifth person in a row comments on my plethora of small children. I know they're just making conversation. Still, I feel a bit condescended to when people shake their heads and chuckle at the sight of me juggling kids and car seats. Three isn't even that many kids. We're not a freak show, people. Just a family.
My friend Amy and Stephanie at 5 Minutes for Parenting both also wrote today about the attention families with a lot of young kids get. So I know I am not alone in attracting stares merely by taking my kids to Target.
I think sometimes when people see small children in a group, they seem less like individuals and more like a herd. One little baby is cute. Three kids ages 4 and under? Well, that's a handful.
I'm sure people are merely trying to be nice when they remark upon my family. Some of them have probably even been there, done that themselves and are perhaps remembering those good (or sometimes not-so-good) old days when they smile faintly at the sight of us. So I just smile back and say, "Yep, they sure are," when people tell me that my hands are full.
Privately, I think to myself all the things they are full of:
tiny hands that alternately cling to me desperately and try to tug free of me
golden hair that I brush and braid and pull into pigtails daily
a baby whose bright eyes follow my every movement
stacks of crayon artwork, created just for me
and at this very moment, a half-cranky, half-snuggly toddler who needed some post-tantrum loving. She crept up beside me, laid her head on my leg and said, "I want you." That's code for, "Hold me on your lap now, please."
Now, I'm having to stretch all the way around her to type, her hot, sticky face burrowed into my chest. So if you'll excuse me, I must finish this post.
My hands are full.
"Wow, you sure have your hands full!"
And they're right, of course. Literally. When we go out to run errands, I am often wearing my newborn in the Snugli front pack, holding the hands of my 2-year-old and my 4-year-old, and carrying the diaper bag and my purse slung over my shoulder. My sunglasses are on my head. My car keys are sometimes in my teeth. "Hands full" doesn't begin to describe it.
And yet, I sometimes feel irritated when the fourth or fifth person in a row comments on my plethora of small children. I know they're just making conversation. Still, I feel a bit condescended to when people shake their heads and chuckle at the sight of me juggling kids and car seats. Three isn't even that many kids. We're not a freak show, people. Just a family.
My friend Amy and Stephanie at 5 Minutes for Parenting both also wrote today about the attention families with a lot of young kids get. So I know I am not alone in attracting stares merely by taking my kids to Target.
I think sometimes when people see small children in a group, they seem less like individuals and more like a herd. One little baby is cute. Three kids ages 4 and under? Well, that's a handful.
I'm sure people are merely trying to be nice when they remark upon my family. Some of them have probably even been there, done that themselves and are perhaps remembering those good (or sometimes not-so-good) old days when they smile faintly at the sight of us. So I just smile back and say, "Yep, they sure are," when people tell me that my hands are full.
Privately, I think to myself all the things they are full of:
tiny hands that alternately cling to me desperately and try to tug free of me
golden hair that I brush and braid and pull into pigtails daily
a baby whose bright eyes follow my every movement
stacks of crayon artwork, created just for me
and at this very moment, a half-cranky, half-snuggly toddler who needed some post-tantrum loving. She crept up beside me, laid her head on my leg and said, "I want you." That's code for, "Hold me on your lap now, please."
Now, I'm having to stretch all the way around her to type, her hot, sticky face burrowed into my chest. So if you'll excuse me, I must finish this post.
My hands are full.
4 comments:
What a blessing that you can choose to stay home with your little ones. And what a blessing that you have full hands and a full heart.
Nana
Oh, such beautiful imagery. Your daughters are very lucky to have you.
I often hear the "you sure have your hands full" comments. I also hear, "you sure must be busy!" Sometimes I can tell that it is meant in the friendliest way, other times I am not so sure. One day, without really thinking, I replied, "Yes, in the best way!" And that has become my standard response.
Ever since I read this last week, I have started noticing all the times people say the same thing to me! And, most likely, I would have thought or said the same thing to someone with three or more little ones before I had kids of my own. It seems a little overwhelming to someone who hasn't experienced it, but I am so thankful to have my hands full of these little ones--I am realizing that keeping family and home my priority gets easier the more kids I have... :) There's no time for anything else!
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