I am a 31-year-old mother of 4 boys. For some odd reason that comes to such a shock to people when they meet me for the first time. Sometimes I don't know whether to feel complimented or insulted by their reactions. Am I too immature acting to be a mom of four? Do I look too
young? (I like to believe that is the reason in most cases) But, yes, it is true. I am the official receiver of the idiotic typical phrases and you parents of multiple kids, especially of one gender know what I'm talking about. The "I can't believe you have four kids. I don't know how you do it. You must be crazy. Do you know what causes it? Are you trying one more time for that girl? I bet you were wishing for a girl with your last, weren't you?" And my all time favorite: "Are you done?" Quite honestly, what's it to you if I'm not? And what's it to you if I am? Either way, it's a stupid question to ask, so stop asking it.

It's my life and I love it. Crazy at times, yes, but I love it. In my life I have changed more poopy diapers, cried more sympathy tears while my kids were receiving shots/stitches/finger pricks and seen more Hot Wheels cars in
the strangest of places than anyone I know. There are days that I absolutely feel like I could jump out of a window if I hear another whine over who is playing Playstation next or who is not wanting to bathe. But I realize that if I jumped, I'd probably not be lucky enough to die, yet live just enough
to endure the pain of having to get my own stitches from landing on a Hot Wheels car in the bush that grows right beside the trashcan full of poopy diapers that my kids forgot to drag to the road!

And so you have it, someone JUST on the verge of insanity. Not quite there, but one foot just inside the door enough that the receptionist is filling out the admittance papers as I speak.

I cannot say that life with four boys is all bad. That actually could not be further from the truth. I can count numerous times of rushing out the door in the mornings and hearing the cry of that little voice wanting to hug mommy one more time. My first inclination is frustration - I'm already 15 minutes behind, I can't believe this is happening, it's going to make me even later, I'm sure I'll get behind all the slow people now and that blankity, blank, blak school bus. Then once I feel that hug my mind stops and my heart begins to overrule it all and every second that I'm standing there embracing that sweet little boy just isn't long enough. When I finally break myself away, I find myself thankful that instead of brushing off my
kid's request, I stop what I'm doing and take that moment to hug them. I realize that I need that as much as they do, if not more. They are good reminders of what is truly important.

I feel fortunate that I have boys who are sensitive and caring. I have to say that, proudly; the three older boys have such big hearts. Unfortunately, none of them use their sensitivity powers for the good of their siblinghood. In my experience, the oldest nags the second, and the second nags the third
and the third nags the fourth and the fourth nags us all. Somewhere in there I feel like my husband and I are getting gypped. While playing mediator, we're dealing with an irate toddler who pretty much gets the brunt of all the nagging and turns into a food throwing, meltdown having, head-banging
monster. You know, it just occurred to me, he's a lot like his daddy watching a Duke basketball game. But I digress.

I honestly feel truly blessed in my life. Yes, there is chaos. Yes, there is stress. Yes, there is a lot of wrestling, ball playing, video game addiction, food outages, and toilet lid hinge replacements, but I would not change any of it for the world. How many people do you know can honestly say
they are the queen of their castle? Yeah, well, I can't think of anyone either, but the point is, life is good. No. Life is great. So next time you decide to ask someone "Are you done?" you may want to rethink your approach, because most likely you are addressing someone who knows the "wealth" of
their life and tends to take offense to stupid questions. You may just get a little embarrassed as they laugh in your face, then again depending on the day, you could end up with not only an answer, but a black eye as well.

Yes, I'm done.



Kristen Mann