When my kids were younger, the age gap between them was difficult. Now, it's more of a benefit.

When my youngest was born, we already had an 8-year-old, an astir 7-year-old, and a 2-year-old. Five years abstracted my mediate children, and 8 years abstracted my oldest and youngest. The age gap made galore things precise difficult, and my hubby Craig and I began to notation to my kids arsenic the bigs and the littles.

They were successful antithetic phases, and it was logistically difficult

Logistically, it was a nightmare. Often, we had to resistance on a toddler and babe to sporting events and schoolhouse outings for the oldest two. We would propulsion up successful our minivan filled with everything from diapers to shot gloves.

While my 2 oldest ran astir the bases astatine Little League, my hubby chased the toddler astir the playground, and I was glued to a breastfeeding baby.

The spread besides proved absorbing erstwhile readying activities for them, similar movies and playdates, arsenic the things they enjoyed were vastly different. When they were young and astatine specified differing stages of development, it often meant splitting up the kids to marque definite everyone got to bash what they needed oregon wanted. Meeting the needs of each of our children often meant dividing and conquering.

In our earliest days arsenic a household of six, breastfeeding bound maine to the youngest, truthful my hubby became keeper of the oldest two. As the years passed, we switched, and Craig stayed location with the littles. I spent much clip with the bigs astatine birthday parties astatine trampoline parks and skating rinks. While it allowed everyone to get what they needed, it meant little clip unneurotic arsenic some a full household and a joined couple.

Bedtime was implicit chaos

While readying activities was hard, coordinating bedtimes was a nightmare. The oldest 2 would beryllium up watching tv oregon playing together, and the youngest would wonderment wherefore they had to caput to furniture truthful overmuch earlier.

Again, we recovered that dividing the kids up was the lone mode to conquer our nightly bedtime routine. My hubby would work to 1 acceptable of kids portion I got the different ready. We ever made definite to tuck each of them successful individually, though. While doing this was important to america and to them, bedtime took a foolish magnitude of clip and was exhausting.

My older kids told their siblings things they weren't acceptable to hear

My older children besides knew much astir things than the younger kids, which made it tricky. Their worlds exploded with accusation they learned astatine schoolhouse oregon connected the bus, and the accusation they learned recovered its mode into our home. Scary stories, some existent and imagined, were whispered to their youngest siblings, nary substance however steadfast we were successful monitoring things.

The property spread has gotten little important implicit time

As my children person grown, the value of their property spread seems to person lessened. My older lad is 20 and my older girl is 18, and portion their enslaved has been beardown for astir of their lives, it is astonishing to ticker them gel with their 14-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother. They present stock much communal interests, similar video games and shopping.

The oldest 2 play Minecraft and different video games with their younger brother. My 18-year-old girl takes her younger sister to the promenade and talks with her astir everything from boys to TikTok. I precocious listened to them laughing unneurotic earlier bed. My younger girl was braiding her older sister's hair.

I person besides enjoyed watching my oldest 2 go relation models and advisors to their younger siblings. As my younger girl heads to precocious school, her older sister is helping her fig retired the champion classes and teachers. It is chill to ticker her stock her experience. She wants to assistance her sister marque the champion decisions and debar mistakes that she feels she made.

While I often find myself missing those aboriginal years, I americium genuinely enjoying this phase of parenting. Watching each 4 of my children observe much communal interests and forge stronger bonds is simply a gift, and I americium grateful.