Let me give you some multiples advice

For those who are pregnant with triplets (or multiples of any kind) or those who have infant multiples, let me give you a little advice...teach them Independence!

This is coming back to bite me in the butt, BIG TIME! If you have multiples, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It is about survival. You do what you have to do to survive & get thru the day. Anything to make it easier, I would/will do. And there's the problem; my kids don't do anything on their own, because I have always did things for them. I still do most everything for them.

I can remember them being in Occupational Therapy (at the age of 2 1/2-3 years old) & the therapist said (after painting one day), "Lets go wash our hands." My kids really didn't know what to do. Crazy, huh? This is because I would get a rag with soap on it & go down the line, washing their hands & face. They never really got up on a stool, turned on the faucet, put soap on their hands & washed. Mama did it for them. And to be honest, I sometimes still do it.

Now to present day. Jasper is the only one who can get himself fully dressed. Jonah & Isabel don't really have an interest in it. And it infuriates me! I now realize I have created monsters. They whine & barely try anything. Izzy will "try" to put on her boot & she will barely pull at it & then just look at me & whine, saying, "I can't do it! You do it!" Jonah is the same way.

This morning, I received a call from Jonah & Isabel's teacher. She wants to move Jonah in to a class by himself. This means they all would be in separate classes. She said that Jonah does nothing on his own & will follow & copy what Isabel does. I think separating them is a great idea. I know I've mentioned Jonah's sensory issues before, but he was diagnosed this summer as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is high functioning which means he will be able to function on his own, but for now, we need to work with him on his quirks & rituals. That being said, I have always poo pooed things with Jonah, because I KNEW something wasn't quite right and I suppose I felt like I needed to protect him & baby him. And I now realize, it hasn't helped. Now he is struggling.

My point is this: Teach them independence, let them try things on their own. While it may make it frustrating on you, it will help them. I have to learn this myself, as I still get Isabel & Jonah dressed in the morning. Since I'm the only one here in the mornings & the bus picks them up, I do everything to make sure we are on time. I'm making a promise to myself that I will make them help themselves. And this means making them try things on their own.

Sniff, sniff..my babies are growing up.