3 under 3: Playing catch-up

Amy Condon is a mum to 3 kids, who are all under 3! Yes, you heard us right. Each week she tells us all about the ups and downs of bringing up 3 children so close in age. This week Amy talks about how her littlest one is forever playing catch-up with her older sisters...

'Is there anything in the world cuter than a toddler who's not long learnt to toddle? At just over a year old, M has a couple of months of walking under her belt, but as she's concentrating on increasing her speed, her technique still has that adorable drunken wobble which never ceases to have me grinning from ear to ear. Her dad and I especially love to put her in her little dressing gown and set her off, just so we can delight in how much she looks like ET when he's dressed up as a ghost on Halloween...

But parental teasing aside, my favourite thing to watch is when she really gets up a head of steam in pursuit of her favourite 2 things in the world. Her sisters.

Now she can walk, M basically believes she's nearly 3. She wants to do everything G and T do, and woe betide anyone who tells her different. She's taken to running, clambering and diving headfirst into everything, with little thought as to the consequences and not the slightest acknowledgement of the fact she is in fact only 13 months old. Despite the inevitable bumps, bruises and tears though, it's wonderful to watch her joining in.

When I fell pregnant for a 2nd time, I found myself hoping for a boy, despite the fact that as a mum of girls with no brothers of my own, I wouldn't have a clue about what to do with one. I love having daughters, and had no desire for any misplaced sense of completion. I just thought a boy wouldn't mind being left out quite as much. He'd probably have, erm, cars to play with, footballs to kick, you know, um, boy things to do. Told you I had no idea about them...

Anyway, turns out I only grow girls, and almost as soon as the ultrasound was over, I started to panic. Would my little one spend her life being left out? Would she resent her sisters and their bond? G and T are confirmed bestest friends forever, having shared a womb, a cot, a buggy, a whole life together. They learned to walk together, to talk together, to play, to sing, to dance. All before M was even thought of.

So much advice out there for twins' siblings is for those who suddenly find themselves with 2 brand new brothers or sisters. I guess it's assumed that if you already have twins, you won't be adding to your brood anytime soon...But we did, and M is destined to a life of playing catch-up, of trying to grow up too fast. So it's good to see she's actually enjoying it. The look of delight on that little face as she toddles past, having been invited to join in some game she doesn't understand utterly melts my heart. Yes, G and T become irritated with her sometimes, frustrated by her lack of discipline, by the fact that she seems to get away with more than they do just because she's baby. But they dote on her too. They love their roles as big sisters, and their obvious pride when they're asked to teach her something new is wonderful.

I used to hope that the less-than-2-year gap between the twins and M would mean they'd became more like triplets, a troublesome trio, all in it together. But I'm starting to think maybe M has a pretty good deal. She has 2 big sisters to look out for her, 2 role models to copy and learn from (heaven help their mum), and 2 firm friends to turn to. She's not a twin and she's not a triplet. She's the baby of the bunch, but perhaps that's the best place to be after all.'

Does your little one try to play catch-up with their older siblings? Tell us about your experiences in our comments section below or on Facebook.

Amy's other blog posts...

• Amy's next blog - 3 under 3: Counting to 3...
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• Amy's previous blog - 3 under 3: Playing catch-up
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• All of Amy's blogs