Age Differences...

...can really suck.

The summer has settled upon us and I'm now juggling three schedules. Which isn't an impossibility--it keeps things interesting and leaves little time for tantrums. (Mine or theirs.)

The issue, if we can call it that?

There's no way to really merge the activities of a tween, a toddler, and a nursling. The tween could care less about tot soccer,  the toddler is allergic to naps, and the nursling is only interested in nursing and refuses to borrow a flip to give about dance or soccer or any of that jazz.

...which brings us to the parents, who lovingly (and by lovingly I mean, "We paid for this so we may as well smile and enjoy too!") chauffeur the gas-moneyless kids to and fro.

I kid about gas money.

They can't afford to fill that tank. *chuckles* They're broke.

But in all reality, while I do love letting them have their respective sports and hobbies, I do kinda wish they had one together too.

While that seems crazy, look at it this way--our tween will be 12 this year. Which means when the toddler is a great big almost-out-of-elementary kid and the nursling is a kindergartener, the tween will be old enough to vote, drive, and take the garage apartment. 

Admittedly we don't push the whole move out thing...most days, anyway. At 18 I was honestly only barely ready to decide my own dinner, let alone my own life. While I survived and did pretty well, I won't necessarily push my little birds out the nest so soon.

But back to the age difference...the tween has a whole 9.5 years between her and her little siblings. She doesn't exactly bond with them over music and common interests because, well, there aren't many. She is much closer to our nieces and nephews, who are closer to her age. Which we don't begrudge at all, because she definitely loves the two smallest bears. She's a wonderful big sister. The years are there and can't be ignored, though.

The main thing they share is parents.

We take pride in annoying them all equally, by the way. It's a tough and thankless job but darn it, we signed up for it and boy do we dee-li-vah. (Deliver, sheesh.)

So while they're all developing their separate things, it makes me wish they had one together. *sighs* I understand my own timing as far as their birth order, and I wouldn't dare change it, but at the same time I catch myself imagining if they were a bit closer in age.

But then again, my tween takes hours in the bathroom and currently takes great pride in stealing my clothes. (Either I'm a short adult or she's a tall 11...at any rate, she's already 5'4 and rising.)

We should probably start a band or something before she (the tween) deems us too uncool to be spotted with in public. Can't you see it? We'd have this epic tour bus and everything.

No?

Well, now you're acting like the kids. *scoffs*