The number 3 (three) has been around for thousands of years, and it has slowly evolved to becoming a magic number.  Strangely enough, you come across 3 all the time and  people reply with “3, is the magic number”. (That is actually a song by Blind Melon whose lead singer died of an overdose.)  Several World religions refer to 3 as being magical, such as Christianity / Holy Trinity, Buddhism / Three Jewels and in Islamic rites certain formulas are repeated three times and others thirty-three times.

A few facts about Number 3:

• 3 is the mystical number that shows up repeatedly in mythology and fairy tales: 3 fates, 3 muses, 3 graces, 3 tasks, etc.
• 3 is the base for any rock band; drummer, bass and guitar/vocal
• 3 cords is all I know on the guitar
• 3 is the basic structure of stories: a beginning, middle and end.
• 3 Godfather movies (2nd is the best)
• 3 stages or drunkenness; smiling, wobbly and out cold
• 3 seasons in Ireland; winter rain, summer rain and the rest of year rain

However, this blog is NOT about the history of the number 3, but…

3 comes into play when you have kids and when you sing about the 3 Blind Mice or if you decide to increase the population of your family by having child number 3 – which we did.

Who ever claimed that having 3 kids is easy should be shipped off to a Siberian work camp or be forced to walk with 3 mental dogs at the same time … for the record, we have 3 mental dogs (when it comes to going for walks). I have attempted to walk them and as a result, my left arm is slightly longer. My 2 fingers on my right hand are still squeezed together. I have also developed a minor limp after having damaged my heels from trying to stop the dogs from taking off.  Where the hell is Cesar Millan when you really need to whisper (or scream) to the dogs?

For some reason we decided to reproduce (yes!) and had a beautiful baby girl in April 2010.  We now have 2 girls and 1 boy, which equals 3 kids.  Most of the time they are a trinity of angels, but at times they are demons in action.  So, the question you might ask is why we have deliberately given our kids the upperhand in the household?  Well, we have 3 dogs, so now we have a kid to walk each dog. At least at some stage they will- when they are older of course.

Despite what scolars might say about the evolution of a child’s brain, kids are clever and scheming individuals. They will from an early age know what to do to please or test your emotions.  Having two kids was fine.  You were able to hold a kid in either hand, keep them separated in the car, teach them to share a Twix bar or using a see-saw.  And your partner can take one child while you take the other.  Adding the third child to the mixing pot creates this unknown element or spice that is completely unpredictable.  It’s like driving with your wife, you never know when she’ll punch for something the other drivers did or if she’ll get clocked speeding.

It is almost impossible to fit 3 car seats into a standard SUV.  We bought the car for one main reason: having a nice spacious car for the family.  Our two oldest kids are using booster seats and the baby is using the baby seat.  So, each unit has a large base.  Having all three kids on the back seat, sitting close together for periods longer than 3 minutes, normally results in open warfare.  Hairs, food, spit and foul language is exchanged.  It is also shared with the adults in the front row!

Kids in numbers do not behave in a predictable manner.  You should in theory be able to ask the oldest kids to entertain themselves for 30 seconds, while you change the baby’s nappy.  Again, 3 becomes important.  Once, as soon as I opened the diaper, and my hands were in a delicate area (especially since the baby suddenly lost control of her bowl movements), the two older kids revolted.  They quickly ganged up on me and accused me of not taking time to play with them. A few seconds later they ended up bashing each other with a selection of toys.  Meanwhile, the 3rd “innocent” baby girl smiled at me as she released a mustard like liquid over my fingers!!  I quickly removed my hand, only to spray some pooh on a nearby dog.  Shortly after, the room had a scent of baby pooh, wet dog and my sweat.

The scary thing is, you can almost see the kid is plotting against you.  They stare at you and take advantage of the situation, where you are least likely to engage with them or correct them.  A bit like raptors in Jurassic Park. They test the weakness in the fences.  As an example – the other morning, when we had finished breakfast, my son walked around the kitchen/playroom area, playing with his Woody doll.  I began to dress the baby, which included a nappy change, and had the baby half undressed.  Suddenly, my son stopped and looked at me with a smile on his face (I’m certain he winked too).  He gently spread his legs over one of the toys and peed on it!  My daughter just looked at me and rolled her eyes and said “I told you dad. He had to go!”.  The thing is, she hadn’t said anything.  And, to finish it off, the baby sneezed and milk/snot particles sprayed over my hand and face.  Wow, can’t wait for lunch!

Putting them to bed, which should be a more relaxed (zen) and a less stressfull experience, normally involves me running after my son with a diaper (still uses night diaper), demanding that my daughter gets her PJ on while my wife is breastfeeding the baby.  These sessions last anywhere from 3-30 minutes. In the end I’m covered with toothpaste and water.  Finally, the kids crawl into bed and they start calming down. That’s when we start reading books.  When the two oldest kids are almost in the universe of Naboo, the little angel baby starts to cry.  Not just any cry, but a cry that sounds like a car alarm…and the kids wake up again!

As soon as the kids are farting and snoring again, I sneak downstairs to clear the kitchen from the dinner battle. I feed the dogs and start another load of washing (dishes and clothes).  Once my husband duties are done, around 21.00 (9pm), I use my ninja skills to jump in front of the computer to surf the web and update my facebook page. I might even play a few games.  I have a cup of coffee in the sofa with the missus, just before heading to bed at 21.45.  Remember, I have the early morning feed between 04-05 (am).

I survived another day. Lying in bed, my eyes slowly close and I join my kids fighting off evil monsters, flying giant fairies and running on grass singing songs from Sound of Music … wait, that was my wife singing along to her favorite movie.

Having 3 kids is tough no matter what some people might say.  However, it is great coming home to a house full of kids, a lovely wife and 3 dogs.  You can just feel the love when you are knocked over by the St. Bernard, trampled by the two other dogs and rescued by the kids as the jump on top of you.  My wife extends her hand to help me up and gives me a hug.  There’s always something happening and you don’t really get a chance to sit down too long.  It’s excellent for loosing weight.

Would I change anything?  No! We just need a bigger car.