04/01/2026
Nobody warned me that the jump from 2 kids to 3 wasn’t addition. It was multiplication.
You look at parents with two kids and you assume you’ve cracked the code already.
You’ve learned patience.
You’ve learned routines.
You’ve learned how to juggle love, time, money, emotions.
So you think when the third child arrives, it will just fit into the balance you already built.
But NO
Three kids is a whole different life.
With two kids, there’s a kind of symmetry.
Two hands.
Two laps.
Two sides of attention.
If one cries, the other can wait.
If one needs help, the other often understands.
With three?
Someone is always waiting.
Someone is always calling your name.
Someone feels left out even when you’re doing your absolute best.
With three, you’re constantly outnumbered.
Emotionally, it hits harder than people talk about.
You love them all equally, but you can’t show it equally at the same moment.
And that can make you feel guilty in ways you never expected.
Three kids teaches you that parenting isn’t about fairness, it’s about presence.
Some days one child gets more of you.
Some days another does.
Some days, you feel like none of them got enough.
And still, you show up again tomorrow.
But here’s the part people don’t warn you about and also don’t praise enough:
Three kids also teaches you growth.
You become more flexible.
More humble.
More creative.
You learn to let go of control and hold onto connection instead.
It’s not harder in a simple way. It’s deeper.
More demanding.
More chaotic.
More revealing.
And if you’re in it right now and wondering why it feels like everything changed,
You’re not failing.
You just moved into a new level of parenting.
Would you say 3 kids broke your routine or built your strength? Let’s talk.