I have often remarked that parenting multiples involves expansive scheduling along with enlightened thinking. The following article describes how a mom of triplets came to recognize and appreciate what her daughters needed and how she made sacrifices to accommodate each of them. It originally appeared in Multiples of America’s Notebook magazine (Fall 2015) and is reprinted here with permission.

WHAT I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

By Sherry Santa, Higher Order Multiples Coordinator, Multiples of America

Six years ago if you had asked me if I would separate my triplets in Kindergarten I would have said NOOOO!!! I would have had a million excuses, like they love each other and NEED each other. And how would I handle three different classes?

But as I watched my precious babies grow from these tiny little beings into sassy confident little ladies, I had to rethink a few things. I started to notice that all three did things for each other that would have driven a teacher batty. Like two would speak for the third one because she is shy. Or one would do academic stuff for the other two because she liked to do school work even just playing at home. Or they would fight like cats and dogs about something, then three minutes later be best of friends. So I decided keeping them together was for ME not for THEM.

I had many things to learn in Kindergarten like the fact that instead of one teacher and 22 kids now I’d be dealing with three teachers and 66 kids. Or the fact that one teacher was tidy and organized while another was a little more relaxed. And instead of one class party or one “Meet the Teacher” event, I had to go to three!

As I started learning all of these new things I learned other valuable lessons. Like the fact that the shy one was really only shy when her sisters would speak for her. When she was in her class with her friends she was very chatty. And the one that didn’t seem that interested in academics actually loved school, she just needed a teacher that saw what made her want to learn!

I saw them blossom into the three little beautiful ladies that I knew they were deep down inside! And yes, it was a little hard to go to three holiday parties and three “Meet the Teacher” nights, but even that had its benefits! Such as, if one party was loud and out of control I knew that I only had to be there for 10 minutes before it was time to move on to the next one! And when I was with each of their teachers she was 100% talking about the one that was in her class not comparing her to her sisters but just honestly talking about her as the individual that she is! So now that I’ve learned my Kindergarten lessons, bring on First Grade!