I confess...

[Annapooh]

I don't honestly have mulitples. I know there is nothing that can exactly match it, but soon, very soon, I will be the mother of two dss age 8, dd age 9, and dss age 10 along with dd 17 and ds 15. The eight year olds are a month apart, my SO adopted all three of his. I feel like many of the challenges we are going to face are similar to what parents of mulitples face. Any advice would be helpful! Time management? Meal planning? Laundry? How do you feed them all especially if there are a few picky eaters?? How do you keep toys separate? How do you set up chores? How do you________________?

[Smurfette2]

Your SO adopted 3 or 4 kids? And please, mines - yours - theirs, if you're raising them... it doesn't matter who the birth mom is, you can still be mom too!

I say let your maternal instincts kick in and you'll find a rhythm with the kids. Adopted kids tend to have a lot of issues (not all negative) so be very open to listening and suggestions and most of all provide a home that is consistent and stable. That's what all of us crave - stability.

You'll do fine. The kids are lucky! :)

Edited by Smurfette2 - 5/16/11 at 8:00pm

[Annapooh]

My SO and i will be getting married soon. He has three boys; 8,8, and 10. I have three kids; 9, 15, and 17. My SO is a widower, I will be the boys' mom. It is a role I am easing into,but I will soon be jumping in the deep end, and I am trying to keep my eyes, heart and mind wide open. I have started posting in the blended family forum also, but I am here seeing how you all manage families with children the same age or very close in age.

[Smurfette2]

I wouldn't worry about laundry and sharing toys. They'll be coming with their own toys, they already know how to share.  Meals are going to be different and expect your food bill to go up. There will be some in house fights/arguments but that's because you've gone from 3 to 6 kids and a few of them are teens at that. You guys are the Brady Bunch! :)

[Shuli]

Even though they all know how to share doesn't mean they will. I think that everyone has to respect those that have certain things that they don't want to share. Even with my two, there are some things that need to be shared, and some things that are just theirs and don't. And especially teenagers who are coming into a new sitiuation and are just finding themselves and redefining roles, "their own stuff" will be very important. In terms of meals, why not have a family meeting once a week for the first month and have everyone plan the weekly menu together. That way you'll know what they like and they can figure it out together. A chore chart is a really good way to keep track of who is responsible for what. Make sure that at a certain interval (weekly/monthly) you switch them, some people like doing certain chores better than others. :-) You'll figure it out, you take the lead and whatever problems arise as long as you listen to what is being said both during arguments and not, you should be fine. Good luck!!