I have learned when you have three children there are two paths you can take…
- the buy three of everything path (preferred).
- the don’t buy three of everything path (very noisy).
I am a fan of the buy three of everything.
And I mean everything.
Don’t you dare make the mistake at the grocery store and take the kids’ word for it that they won’t want Key Lime Pie yogurt in the morning when both their brothers are slurping it down with granola.
Don’t you dare make that mistake.
Because when tomorrow morning comes and you pull out two Key Lime Pie yogurts for Ryan and Reid and then you pull out the Cherry yogurt that Rhett declared his undying love for in the aisles of Super Target not more than 13 hours prior...there is going to be a scene.
And scenes at breakfast are not pretty.
So I buy Key Lime yogurt in numbers divisible by three.
So how do you deal with the request for another kind of yogurt from one boy?
I buy the additional yogurt in a three pack – and don’t be fooled by ACTUAL three packs that have the audacity of packaging a VARIETY of yogurts in the same box.
VARIETY is the enemy here.
I then present the NEW yogurt to all three boys with sweeping fanfare of this is Rhett’s choice!
I didn’t do the shopping last week.
This morning the boys reached into the fridge and found three DIFFERENT types of yogurt.
*gasp*
Ryan was first to the fridge and made his choice.
Reid was second and made his choice.
Rhett was left with the odd yogurt out.
*insert ugly scene here*
Rhett(4): I WANT KEY LIME PIE YOGURT!
Reid(6): You can’t. I am the guardian of the Key Lime Pie yogurt.
I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE KEY LIME PIE YOGURT!
No, you are the guardian of screaming.
YES! And God forbid they get different toys in their Happy Meal. One’s perfectly content with Fiona until the other pulls Donkey out of the box. Variety is the enemy!!
This is an excellent rule. I have been known to buy the same sunglasses (in the same color) so that if one was temporarily lost, the child needing glasses (they never both want to wear them at the same time) would always have his/her pair available. If only I could do the same with shoes! Alas, they wear different sizes.
Excellent! “The Guardian?” Love it.
And thanks for making me happy that my boys HAVE to be on completely different diets 🙂
I’m thinking FOUR of everything…in case something goes wrong…ya gotta have a back-up plan! (At least, that’s what I HEAR. I’ve never been that “together” before).
It’s the rule of two around here. At least for now, until K gets older. But boy, if G doesn’t have what B has it’s then END OF THE WORLD. In other words, I can relate. 🙂
My issue was that they’d claim to want the blue Dora or Trix yogurt while in the store, but then they’d eat Mommy’s instead. Now, each boy gets to pick their own Yoplait – so far we are not at the stage where they have to have the same one, but neither can ever remember later which was “their pick” and Mommy gets stuck eating the nasty pomegranite/blueberry one. I should just be happy they EAT yogurt.
Try explaining this to the teenager manning the drive through at any number of fast food places. “Can you please make sure they all have the same toy” “Ma’am?” “I have 3 boys in this car. If you give me 3 different toys it will be World War 3. Please save me and just give me three of the same toys.”
This conversation usually leaves said teenager glassy eyed. And perhaps serves as birth control…
Two good deeds in one 😉
Oy. Yes. I made that mistake early on with toys. I thought, “I’ll buy the same thing but in 2 different colors so they can tell whose is whose.” Bad. Bad idea.
OK, so in our house it goes something like this:
Me to number one son: “You are not the enforcer of rules around here, Mum and Dad are!”
to which number one son replies:
“I AM the Enforcer!”
All Hail the Enforcer! It sounds like he needs black boots and a sinister mustache!!
LOL! The Guardian? It’s like Star Wars but more grown up. As one of three girls I am here to tell you that even buying three of everything is never enough.