Embracing Your Experience
As we have continuously added to our family over the years, I have had many conversations with family, friends, coworkers wondering how we do it?! They continue on and say well I know I can’t complain at all to you guys, because I/we only have one or two (or whatever child amount that is lower than our count). Yet, I always express to them that they can complain or share or whatever because that is their experience. You can’t diminish your experience, just because someone else’s is different. When Jay and I only had two children; I only knew the ebbs and flows of what it meant to be a parent of two. I couldn’t and can’t diminish my experience just because it wasn’t something someone else wasn’t experiencing at the time. The great thing about having, embracing and sharing your experience with other people’s experience that are different from yours is that you’re able to learn from each other.
I’ll tell you, and Jay will agree; that it takes a lot of work, with some challenges, but it’s definitely worth it. Yet, this is our experience, it’s not so much easier or better than someone who has ten children or extremely difficult for someone that has two, however it is different.