Being a mother is like being in a three-ring circus

May 3

A few months ago we were on a little vacation. It was actually a work trip for Nic, and we got to tag along. Every morning for breakfast, we (three little boys and I) had to cross a parking lot and go down a flight of stairs for the hotel breakfast buffet. Picture this: I had my six month old strapped to my chest in a baby carrier, my eighteen month old on my hip, and my three year old hanging onto my belt loop. We would make our way down the stairs, I would sit Sam down at a table, drag a high chair over, and then juggle glasses of juice to my offspring who would shortly spill said juice.

We had four mornings of this and I noticed that every morning we got the same two reactions: people were either astounded and amazed like we were a flying trapeze act or people openly laughed and were amused like we were clowns piling out of a miniature car. That's when I realized that being a mom is like being in a three ring circus.

I mean every mother knows how to juggle, figuratively and literally. And ask any mother who has ever stepped on a wooden block or toy car on the very top step while carrying a basket of laundry, every day is filled with death defying acts. Trying to sneak out of the room of a sleeping baby while not stepping on any of the creaky boards or noise-making toys that come out of nowhere is like tight rope walking, but with higher stakes. There are hoops to jump through, lions to tame, and crowds to entertain. Some days I feel like the elephant balancing on a tiny ball, working for peanuts. But, hey, I sure do like those peanuts.