Chaos, Cuddles, and Comedy: Life with Three Kids Under Five

Let me set the scene: The sun is rising (I think? Honestly, I haven’t checked the clock yet), and already someone is screaming. Not out of pain, no – this scream is the universal language of “SHE TOUCHED MY TOY AND BREATHE-WHISPERED IN MY DIRECTION.”

Welcome to my home, where I live with three tiny roommates under the age of five, all born within 2.5 years of each other. It’s like running a daycare, except the daycare workers never go home, and no one brings snacks unless you count the chip crumbs they find in couch cushions.

These kids fight like it’s their job. One minute, they’re in a full-blown toddler turf war over a a toy they forgot they had but now are obsessed with having all to themselves, and the next? They’re curled up on the couch sharing a blanket and giggling at the word “butt.” (It never gets old. Not to them. Or, let’s be honest, to me either.)

The Great Toddler Royal Rumble

Here’s a fun fact: The laws of physics don’t apply when you have three kids under five. Time slows down during meltdowns. Gravity is stronger when you’re carrying twins and one of them decides to body-limp in protest. And silence? It’s a warning.

Every day, there’s a new drama. Someone looked at someone too happily. Someone else got more milk. I once had to mediate a screaming match because “SHE MOVED MY CITY.” (RJ had built a “city” out of magnet tiles). And yet – here’s the kicker – they love each other. Fiercely. Wildly. Irrationally.

Love in the Time of Toddlerhood

There are moments when they think I’m not watching, and that’s when I see it: my son tucking a blanket around his sisters in the stroller wagon. One twin offering the other her last cheese puff (a sacred sacrifice). All three of them marching through the living room holding hands like a tiny cult of adorable chaos.They defend each other at the playground like a pint-sized wolf pack. They make up songs about each other. They give hugs so tight you’d think they were training for the toddler Olympics in sibling affection.

And man, they are funny. Not “laugh politely because they’re cute” funny – legitimately hilarious. They make poop jokes with the timing of seasoned comedians. They mispronounce words in ways that make me literally LOL, but then I think to myself, “Will this be the last time they pronounce it this way?”. They often have dance parties to Bye, Bye, Bye – thank you NSYNC and Deadpool vs Wolverine. And honestly? I’d buy tickets of it were a staged performance.

Embracing the Mayhem – is it hard?

Oh, absolutely. My house is loud. My hair is rarely brushed. My coffee (a newfound love, more on that later) is never hot. But the joy? The kind that sneaks up in between tantrums and time-outs? It’s unmatched. Because at the end of the day (and the middle of the night, and every five minutes in between), they’re each other’s first best friends. Sure, they might bonk heads like baby goats and argue over whose turn it is to press the button to automatically open the door, but they’re also growing up together – learning empathy, sharing snacks, and creating a childhood that is chaotic, loving, and full of laughter.

So if you ever wonder what it’s like to have three kids under five, just imagine living in a sitcom where the characters wear pull-ups and think licking the wall is a hobby.

Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Maybe just a nap. I’d trade it for a nap. Kidding! But I do need a nap.

With love ,

Jenn