Thought of the Day 03.08.10

Even though we only have three so far, I can already see some of the benefits of having numerous children. There’s the obvious benefit to them of social interaction and having built-in friends. To us, there’s the benefit of really being forced to master parenting skills across diverse children. But just the other day, I discovered another one: wonder.

We were out to dinner somewhere and Spencer was playing around on the curb, and I suddenly found myself captivated by watching him move and study his universe. Just seeing his motions and grasping how advanced they had already become at age 5 was amazing to me. But part of the reason I was impressed with him was because I still have Ethan and Sage to compare him to.

See, I tend to quickly forget what each child was like at previous stages, but when I see how Sage and Ethan move around at their ages compared to Spencer, it’s as if I’m seeing his own history right in front of me. So in addition to being their own sources of wonder, the comparison between them as individuals and over time is amplified by having all of them together in one family.