I have been babysitting my grandchildren while their parents work during the day for the last few weeks. They are currently one and two years old. They are the children of my oldest daughter, now 25. She came to us as a 13 year old with her younger sibling and joined our forever family by the miracle of adoption at 15. My youngest daughter by the miracle of adoption is one year old and falls right in between the ages of my two granddaughters. The three little girls have always loved each other, but lately they have been becoming best friends.

In the morning when they first see each other, their eyes light up, they run towards each other, hug, and yell each other’s names. During the day, they are inseparable. If one is in the sandbox digging, then all three are in the sandbox. If one moves to the playhouse, they all move to the playhouse. Currently, they all enjoy doing the same things, which is nice.

While in some ways, having three little girls under the age of three is more work, in some ways it has made less work. Let me explain. In the morning, all of the older children are doing homeschool. My one-year-old daughter was constantly interrupting. She would scribble in the textbooks, ask to have a book read, or want a snack. Obviously, she was bored and wanted some attention.

Now however, she has playmates. They can keep each other busy for thirty minutes at a time, playing with play-doh, blowing bubbles, or helping Dora the Explorer solve her mysteries. This week we managed to get them all on the same nap schedule giving me 45 minutes of free time to start supper, check email, or work on writing.

Did I ever think, years ago, that my children and grandchildren would be the same age? No, but I never dreamed that I would have 10 children either. So, my daughter, at the age of one, is an aunt to a girl 11 months older than her, and one nine months younger than her. In addition, they are all best friends. Isn’t adoption special?


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Photo Credit: 2008 Julia Fuller.