Why having three children is the new two
I BUMPED into an old friend last week, someone I hadn’t seen in 20 years. We compared notes — three kids each. “Three is the new two,” said my old friend, and indeed, anecdotally at least, it feels as though this is the case. Kate Middleton will join this cohort of parents early next year, breaking the royal mould by having a third child. So what’s great about going from two to three, and what are the challenges?
For me, the biggest change was being outnumbered. With two children, I could hold each child’s hand, but not so with three. This still causes occasional strops, although my kids are nine, eight and five. (Mostly I’m just relieved they still want to hold my hand.) It’s also more difficult to have one-on-one time with the kids. When we had two children, sometimes my husband took one on an outing (OK, it was usually the supermarket) while I took the other somewhere else. When my youngest came along, our divide-and-conquer strategy no longer worked, and even now, it’s difficult to make sure they each get occasional undivided attention.
