As we prepare our house, and ourselves, for the delivery of our second child, I happen to ask a family friend – and a father of two – if he has any advice to share on the subject of “managing two kids simultaneously”.  Here’s what he had to say :

Managing two kids simultaneously? There is no formula on that.

Sometimes it is sibling rivalry. Then a cold that one child catches from the other, so that you have to deal with a cranky child all over again. Then later in life, when you think problems will be less, it is different school timings for pick up and dropping because one child is in nursery and the other in primary school. Later it is simultaneous exams. Then when you think “let them grow up, these problems will disappear”, you discover a whole new world of teenage years and boyfriend/girlfriend problems, growing up, hormones acting up, teenage rebellion, and other things which make you wonder whether these kids are your own, or fell into your lap from another planet. Then they go away to college, and you have some time to yourself, and you say “now we are free”. And you promptly start spending your “Free” time missing them, wondering whether they are managing all right, why aren’t they eating well and on time, are they taking on too much pressure in college…….
 
Then they get married, and you worry whether the have chosen the right spouse, are they happy, will they do well in their jobs, are they going to manage their kids well.
 
Finally, when you are on your deathbed, you wonder whether you’ve left them enough of an inheritance!!!!!!!

Looks like we’re going to have some exciting times in store for us!