I can't talk to you, I'm allergic to pessimism.

OK, I get it. You have more kids than I do, your kids are older, you've been a parent longer than I have, but the last thing I want to hear (from you, from anybody!) is the phrase "Just you wait.. " followed by a smug look that tells me how certain you are that my life will be more difficult once my children become toddlers, or start school, or reach their teenage years. I don't want to hear it, and furthermore, I may have to leave the room because I'm highly allergic to negativity.

I'll tell you my mantra... for the moments when I have three little people crying at me. I think "The best is yet to come - this is only getting easier - right now, right this moment, is the hardest point and onward, it will be downhill"

I have reliable evidence that my situation is due to improve. My older boy will soon be out of diapers. He is also becoming more helpful. My middle boy's teething will soon be finished. He plays very well with my older boy, without my constant supervision. Every day, my older two grow in their vocabulary and abilities to express what they need, instead of simply standing there and crying. Every day, my baby gets bigger and more independent and can sit by herself and be amused by the toys hanging from a mobile in front of her chair. At this point, however, none of my three little puffballs has mastered the cappuccino machine and figured out how to make mommy a nice coffee drink.

Whenever I meet moms with big families, I always ask "when does it get easier?". I also posted this question on a mommy internet message board that I frequent. Some moms say 'Oy! It never gets easier!' but the general consensus is that it gets easier after Four children. Four isn't a magic number, but I'm guessing that by the time you have four little ones, the oldest few are more independent and more helpful and that friendships have developed amongst the children so they play with one another and don't need mom to entertain them. Or maybe things are easier because you have a wealth of experience to draw on and have weathered every crisis and survived. I'm not saying that everyone needs to have four children just to test out my hypothesis, but I think it's worthwhile to realize that at some point (maybe at four kids, maybe at a different point) things *have* gotten easier for others.

So yeah, I don't want to hear about how difficult things will be... what are you basing that on? Your experience?. I'm not you. And besides... *MY* kids aren't like *YOUR* kids.

I'm choosing to remain optimistic, so I see every challenge in my life as the top of some awful steep hill that I've had to shlep up. Walking up the hill is hard, but once I'm at the top, everything is downhill from there. I'm not going to lie... taking care of three little children under the age of three is hard. They have a lot of needs. They get frustrated easily. They make a lot of poopy diapers. They cry a lot. They puke on me.

I can deal with things because I know there is an end in sight. This too shall pass. And after it passes, I will have my three little puffballs, big and grown-up and (hopefully) appreciative of everything I did for them that they walk into the kitchen on their own, grab a jug of milk and reach for the coffee grinder and think "I love my mommy, I think I'll surprise her with a cappuccino"