Shopping With One

Counting boards. Waiting for a changing room is fun....with one.

My wife had the day off on Friday and she needed some new shirts for work. The three big kids were in school, so we went to the mall with just the youngest one. It was awesome. I spent the whole time in a giddy haze of relaxation. I kept wondering if people who decided to stop at one child had this much fun when they went out. After mentioning this wonderment to my equally joyful wife, she pointed out that people that only have one don't have the proper reference point to properly enjoy it. They have two sets of eyes for one child. They have four hands between them for holding only one small hand at a time leaving them three hands for other tasks. If everyone uses the bathroom at the same time then one of you is using the bathroom alone. What a novelty! When stopping at the mall play area you only have to watch one child. When trying on clothes my wife could just leave my son with me, no mobs of wrestling children, nobody wandering off in the clothes racks, no one trying to go into or out of changing rooms at the very wrong time. The world is so much different with only one child. Yes, I needed italics to properly show how much different it is, it's that different.
I love having a big family and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Every time I'm peacefully getting dinner ready and there is a mass sword fight in the living room, I'm thankful. When they're all out back building a fort and I'm reading a book, I know how lucky I am. When we're all crammed on the couch together watching a movie I love the fact that we couldn't sit apart even if we wanted to, we have to snuggle. I love my big crazy family, but by god, I know enough to appreciate the simple joy of a day out with one.