You Have Your Hands Full

"Wow, you have your hands full." That comment used to make my blood boil. Every time I heard that comment from some stranger in a store what I really heard was "You have too many kids". I began getting these kinds of comments after the birth of Levi, our 3rd son, and I could just about guarantee that I would get at least one comment from some stranger EVERY TIME I went somewhere with the boys. Usually I get more of those kinds of comments when I'm with the boys alone and Ron's not there. The problem I think with comments like "you have your hands full" and other comments like it is that I could never decipher what exactly was meant by them. In my defensiveness I would automatically assume that people meant the worst. After all, what else could people mean when they said things like that? This weekend has changed my perspective. I'm not sure why. I think I've come to the realization that my family is just not the average family. I think people are surprised by the fact that once our newest addition is born I will have 4 boys. I think that having 4 kids of the same gender is quite different than 4 kids. For some reason moms of families with both boys and girls tend to tell me that having girls is MUCH different than having boys. I'm not sure if this is just a consolation as if to say, "It's okay that you don't have any girls because ______(fill in the difficult thing about having girls)." Boys also have the stigma attached to them that they are loud, full of energy and generally hard to handle. So what did I experience this weekend that changed my perspective? In all reality, this weekend was nothing different but I found that when I heard comments regarding the number of ducklings that were following behind me I was not defensive but proud. Yes, I'm crazy. I'm totally crazy about my 3 handsome boys and I'm already crazy about the little one growing in my belly. Yes, I have my hands full. My hands are always holding on to the little hands that need my guidance and love. Yes, we can be loud and crazy but my boys are never lonely and always have a playmate. In fact even though I enjoy peace and quite every now and again, I would much prefer the loud and craziness that comes from my the sound of my boys laughter. So this weekend when a lady in Albertsons shopping with her teenage son stopped me and said, "Oh, you have 3 boys." I put my hands on my belly and said, "Yes, and I'm having my 4th boy in February." She then went on to tell me that she had 3 boys, her 4th child was a girl and then she had another boy. We had an instant connection though we had never met before and will probably never see each other again. That connection is that we are moms of boys and not just one boy but lots of boys! Later another woman said to me, "You earn an award with all those boys." I said "Oh thanks, I'm having another boy in February." She said "I only have one and I don't know how you do it." I smiled and continued shopping all the while feeling very blessed that I don't have to "do this" all on my own. My husband is a great husband and an awesome father! I think God's changed my heart about those comments. Instead of looking for the negativity I am counting my blessings. My favorite comment from this weekend came from a cashier at Target. She asked if we wanted a girl. We were truthful and said that we would have liked to have a girl and before we could finish she said, "This baby is still a blessing." Nothing could be more true!