Going it alone

Cort travels a good bit for work. When he's home, he and I are equal partners in parenting. Which means that when he's gone, I am not used to going it alone with four kids five and under. (That doesn't sound as impressive as when I used to say "four kids three and under," does it?)

But I think kids have a sense of how much a parent can take, and when Cort is gone, Will and Helen tend to cooperate. Or, at least one of them does. And even if they don't, Charlie and Joseph usually help out tremendously. They will help with dinner, and with the babies. If we have to go somewhere, like t-ball practice, they help carry everything. They will do homework without assistance, and are responsible for getting themselves ready for bed on their own and getting everything ready for the next morning by themselves. They often do extra things that I ask them to, and they generally will do their chores without complaint. That's not to say we don't have meltdowns or conflicts, but they tend resolve without too much drama or angst. Most times, the kids just really step up.

I wrote this down to remember that it happens. Because tonight was decidedly NOT one of those times.