There is no more important decision in your life than deciding whether to have a baby. I don’t mean “decided to have kids.” I mean every time you choose to have a child. But whether or not you believe birth order affects a person’s personality (it does. Signed, eldest daughter), there’s no doubt that each child you give birth to brings a completely different parenting experience.
This point was highlighted by a mom who posted on TikTok as @erinward__ how The experience of having a third child is different.
“Having a third child is like buying a doll or a puppy,” she began. “There are so many new things. [The] First it was like a nightmare. You don’t know what you are doing. You’re Googling everything. You are too nervous. …You overanalyze everything. [With the] And then you’re like, ‘What the hell is this show?’ You’re trying to balance two kids, and it’s like…” At this point, she let out a long sigh.
But what about the third one?
“Look at him!” she said, a baby who looked like a cute little bump in a sleeping bag on the bed next to her. Awake and alert, but very dignified and very attentive.
“It’s like a little doll for acting and performing,” she continued. “There are so many new things.”
I don’t have three so I can’t personally confirm this, but I can definitely look How does one enter this psychological space. I think it’s a two-pronged approach.
For one, when you have your third child, your two older kids have to be in the toddler stage, and as we all know, toddlers are their own special breed and absolutely devilish. Even very “easy”, well-behaved toddlers can be chaotic. So you’re comparing a baby to a raging, fluid madman.
Even a fussy baby might feel calming by comparison, especially if you have two toddlers to preschoolers at home (like @erinward__ does).
Secondly, by the time you give birth to your third baby, you already have the experience of two babies. This is not to say that having a baby is no longer difficult, but you know what to expect and what to do. However, there seems to be something special about the third little joy anyway…
“The third kid is the best,” one commenter raved.
“There are 3 boys here and I agree 100%,” said a second.
And it may not be limited to #3. One commenter joked: “I just had my fifth kid and he’s like a handbag. I just push him around and he’s doing great and calm and no one is stressed.”
Others, however, are skeptical or even outright opposed.
One netizen said: “I know this is a trap.” Many commenters also repeated this view.
“My third one is a doll, okay,” reads the most popular comment in the section. “Chucky the puppy.”
“A false sense of security,” scoffed another, warning, “You’re in for it…”
Let’s be honest, we love a sweet little squeeze either way, so even though your mileage may eventually change as they enter the toddler stage, enjoy the sweetness no matter how long it lasts.
