Q: Is raising triplets three times as hard as raising a single child?
A: If you asked this question of three different parents of triplets, you are likely to receive three different responses. The inherent challenge of raising multiples depends on a variety of factors including the children’s ages, each child’s special challenges and gifts, and each parent’s own personal temperament. With triplets (or more), some tasks may be easier because all of them are facing the same stage at the same time like learning to take turns and sharing. Multiples also present unique challenges as well.
For example, having three children in the same size shoes offers no opportunity to pass items down. Parents often feel stress when they need to see three different teachers on Back to School Night all on he same night. “Hard” is probably not the word most parents of triplets would use. Parents of multiples frequently describe having three children the same age “different”. Parents approach many everyday events in a different way than other families because of the logistics of having three children the same age. Even though a parent of multiples may change three times the number of diapers as parents of one baby, they also receive three times the number of good night kisses and hugs.
Click here for resources and references to accompany our FAQs