Life with 4 boys

Life with 4 boys.

It’s different than I imagined. Although, I’m not really sure I ever really imagined I’d have 4 boys. I remember when I was pregnant with Abel I worried a lot about how I would handle another child in our family. I found comfort in several articles I read about 3 being the hardest number of kids to raise and anything more than 3 was easier. However, after Abel was born I began to doubt the validity of this statement.

4 was definitely harder. Not only was I stretched thin among 4 young boys but baby Abel was way more needy than my last baby, Simon. Dividing my time among them was do-able it just meant I was taking even less time taking care of myself.

It’s been over a year since our family grew to 4 children and I think I’m just now coming into a place where I can sit back and enjoy my family. 4 boys keeps me constantly busy. I’m always defusing fights, cleaning up messing, teaching responsibility, disciplining, preparing meals, constantly moving… It’s exhausting. Life hasn’t gotten easier and I supposed I’ve gotten a little better at managing it but ultimately I’m forcing myself to enjoy life. I have to be intentional about making time for myself. Time for Joe and I to reconnect. Time to just sit back and enjoy my amazing family.

We work hard raising our boys and it’s not easy. Not a day goes by that we don’t have to discipline someone or tend to a broken heart or teach hard lessons but it’s so worth it. There are these small moments when my boys play nicely together, take responsibility all on their own, work hard, a tender toward each other and love well. These are the moments when I realize all that hard work is paying off. We are raising boys that will grow into amazing men.

I’m making it a priority to stop and recognize the small moments. I cherish them and hold them close to my heart because when the days get hard I look back on these moments and know that it’s all for a wonderful reason… I’m raising men.