Monday, October 18, 2010

Forever the Triplet Mom

One of the problems being a triplet mom is all the attention we get. Mostly when they're babies, and they're with us. How well I remember being the "Triplet Exhibit" at the zoo!

Most of that has disappeared now. Even when they're all together they just look like a bunch of kids playing. The boys are assumed to be twins since they look alike - but they rarely dress alike so if they're not standing right next to each other it usually isn't noticed.

But this weekend I didn't even have them with me and I had issues!

It's been 30 years since high school, and we're having some reunion activities. We started this weekend with the Homecoming game, a party afterward and a family picnic. Because of Facebook, I've been back in touch with many of my old classmates and they know (or would, if they ever read anything or see my PROFILE PIC which has 6 kids, 3 of whom are the same size). Apparently they don't, or were just really looking forward to seeing real live triplets, live in person, and whaddya mean they are actually KIDS, aren't triplets supposed to be babies? And how is one of them a GIRL if they are triplets???

But I digress. I had a great time this weekend - better than I expected, actually. High school was not the best years of my life, to be honest; I was pretty much a spoiled, self-absorbed (IMO way more than is typical) brat back then. Most of my friends were in the 2 years ahead of mine, and my best friendship from High School has had a major falling out in the past year. I spent the past few months going back and forth on whether I would even go (I still live here, so I don't even have that excuse!). But I went - and had a blast.

My gripe, and it does sound petty but it's something a fellow triplet Mom would understand, is this - as soon as anyone found out I had OMGTRIPLETZ!!!!!!!1eleventy!!!! the questions started! Did you do fertility? Did you KNOW you were having triplets? Did you TRY to have triplets? OMG how did you do it? OMG I would kill myself! blah blah.

And there is no way to avoid it, of course. You've been to reunions: Where are you living now? How long have you been married? How many kids? How old?

So I just answered simply and sometimes I got away with it. How many kids? 6. How old? 19, 16, 12, 9. Sometimes the math didn't compute or maybe they weren't really listening, LOL. But it never failed that if they did the math the questions would start. And then at the picnic everyone wanted to see them together, and take pictures.

I have never, ever faulted anyone for asking. I'm sure I would do the same thing. So I don't mean any criticism of them. Even with the pictures - we were all taking pics of our friends with their families, that really didn't bother me. It was just annoying to be repeating the same thing over and over, and it made me wish to just be normal for once, not just "the triplet mom".