four days four kids

thanks to my brother-in-law and his wife, who recently left for a trip, i've experienced how it is to have four children. their two kids, vino (6) and sofia (3), camped with us in our condo for half a week. my kids arianna (10) and roque (3), were excited of course. and i also looked forward to good bonding time of the cousins.

as expected, they had a blast. when i get home from work, i am greeted with roque and sofia's shrill voices, shouting joyfully as they chase each other around our small living room, through the bedrooms, kitchen and back to the living room. i can only gasp as they transform the backrest of the sofa into a balance beam. at the same time, i see vino jumping incessantly on our bed while watching disney channel, with ate arianna, who kept telling him to stop jumping. seeing several toys and boardgames scattered on the floor, i figured the kids couldn't quite decide which they wanted to play with (and so they just leave them there) while they busy themselves with some other activity that caught their fancy. over dinner, the younger ones continue to clown around, taking forever to finish their food. i am bombarded with questions from them, each impatiently and almost simultaneously seeking my attention. after dinner, bath time is still playtime. splash, splash even out of the shower. ooh, chaos, like a war zone. then, finally, it's bedtime. after half an hour of telling them to go to sleep, they grudgingly go to bed. and all is peaceful and quiet. whew!

without sweating the small stuff, half the week was a happy experience for me. apart from the chaotic scene which greets me when i get home, i get not just two, but four little kisses and hugs... enough to reenergize me. and at the end of the day, i get not just two, but four goodnight kisses and tight hugs... enough to cap my day contentedly.

i realize i need double the patience to face up to double the challenge of raising four, instead of two children. i also have to be more creative and have a greater understanding to be able to deal with four different personalities. i just had a teeny-weeny peek into the life of mommy friends who have four children or more. i know the challenges and the satisfaction are infinitely greater than these. my kudos to them!