Nobody hands you a manual when you have kids. With the first, you wing it. With the second, you pretend you know what you’re doing. With the third, you just survive with grace. We’re up to three now: 8, 3, and 2 years old. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. And yes: highly recommended! Hahaha.
The chaos runs on a schedule
Mornings at our house are a military operation with no army. Someone can’t find the other shoe (always the same shoe), someone demands pancakes when the official plan was cereal, and our little girl decides the day starts at 5:45 a.m. because she’s the boss and she has spoken.
Nights are right up there: a diplomatic summit with three delegations, each with its own agenda. Water. More water. One more story. My brother gave me a mean look. The chair is cold. And on it goes, round after round, until all three crash… and we follow two seconds later.
Three strangers who became partners (or enemies)
The most beautiful part is realizing that these three little people came out of nowhere, didn’t know each other, and are now a team. Sometimes they’re partners plotting some secret scheme they dreamed up; sometimes they’re sworn enemies over who owns a toy truck. It depends on the circumstances.
Watching them build those bonds—their own language, their alliances, those five-minute wars that end in a hug—is indescribable. You just take it in, quietly, with a full heart.
The good fortune of having a little girl
Two boys and a girl. Welcoming her was a stroke of luck we didn’t even know we were missing: more laughter, more drama, more sweetness per square foot. The house changed its rhythm, its noise level, and its rules, and now we can’t imagine life without her.
Raising people
Amid all the craziness, this is the weightiest and most beautiful part: our responsibility is to raise people. People who will one day go out into the world to think, feel, and make decisions for themselves. We’re here to plant the seeds of good values, a sense of humor, respect, and the certainty that they can count on us. It’s a huge responsibility. And it’s something we love.
But more than any parenting theory, what we love most is our kids: seeing them happy and healthy. Everything else is a bonus.
The luxury of being available
Working remotely and online, and owning our business and our time, gives us something money can’t buy: flexibility. Being there when they need us, without asking permission or watching the clock. Irka and I built Alterno so we could live this way, and the kids are the number one reason it’s all worth it.
We may not be millionaires in money yet, but we’re millionaires in love.
The verdict after eight years of fieldwork: three kids, highly recommended! Hahaha.
