My twin boys turned three last month, which is just mind-boggling to consider. It still feels like yesterday that they were born, in May of 2020, which was certainly an interesting time to become a first-time father of two to say the least.
Yet, it also feels like much longer than three years when I stop to consider all the diaper changes, uneaten meals, and protested bedtimes. If there’s one thing I was told before the boys were born that rings true, it is, most certainly, that the days feel long but the years feel short. It’s interminable, and yet it’s also gone by like a breeze.
And at three years old, they really are a lot of fun! I can have actual conversations with them. They’re getting into board games (which is wonderful, but I never need to play Candyland again). They recently had their first soccer practices. I can take them to the occasional movie.
Sure, potty training is kind of a nightmare, but my heart truly melts when I see them making up games to play with one another. The fact that having twins now means that my kids each have a built-in best friend as opposed to what it used to mean (mainly, extra diapers and double the sleepless nights) makes it all the more special. The good far outweighs the not-so-good now.
Crucially, weekend trips are becoming much more manageable, as well. When we went to Disney World in April of 2022, it was a bit of a disaster. It was bad for several reasons, including Spring Break crowds and the fact that the trip was cut short by most of the family getting COVID. But the boys also just weren’t fully ready for a big trip, so it took a lot of effort on our part for very little reward.
However, in the past few weeks, we’ve been able to travel a few hours away with relative ease. It’s a lot of work bringing two little kids anywhere, don’t get me wrong. But now it’s not so difficult that my wife and I aren’t able to enjoy it (or, in my case, not dread it).
A few weeks ago, we took them to Hersheypark, and this past weekend, we went to the National Aquarium and the Children’s Museum in Baltimore. Did I want to jump into the shark tank when they asked to go home as soon as we entered the aquarium?You bet I did. But, overall, we all enjoyed ourselves, and it was great to get out of the house.
Spending time with my family has always been a joy but now it’s becoming much more exciting, and fun for all of us. Summer isn’t my season, but with these two boys (who start swimming lessons in a few weeks!) adding to the fun of it, this might be the best one I’ve had in a long time.
Of course, early returns on this notion of summer fun have been hit-ormiss. I was told boys are particularly difficult to potty train, and that has certainly been the case in our house. Now that we’ve reached summer, we are essentially letting them play in the backyard whenever the weather is good enough and hoping they figure out how not to ruin their “big boy underwear.” So far, not successful! We “soft launched” the potty training stage in October of 2022, and now we are creeping closer and closer to that early September preschool deadline with each passing day. It seems genuinely impossible that parents all figure out how to teach their children to do this. It feels as if it will take a miracle to get it done.
Plus, while still lacking complete coordination, three-year-old boys are faster than you can possibly imagine. Even when I’m watching them like a hawk, they manage to find trouble. The other day we were at the lake near my home, and Henry walked right off a dock. I was a couple of feet away and somehow managed to grab his shirt just as he touched the water, so he barely even got wet. But I have had flashes of how bad it could have potentially been several times a day ever since. I wish I could tell you this was the first time one of my kids ran straight off something like a live-action Wile E. Coyote, but a few months ago Oliver closed his eyes and ran right off a four foot ledge in our backyard. So, I don’t quite know what to do about that, aside from accepting that the rapidly increasing number of gray hairs on my head are here to stay. No matter how attentive I am or how hard I try, these kids seem to find new creative ways to hurt themselves and raise my blood pressure.
So, yes, three years old certainly has its share of unique stresses and hard work, but I will take them over those early pandemic late-night double bottle feedings any day of the week. Board games and sports practices are much more my speed.
