Growing up with them
Oh my, my, my, the plans I had for us! Being that I was a child who had children, the boundaries of what can/can't be done were conflicting. I was learning through trial & error every day. Basic essentials were understood: bottle, diaper, bath, sleep, fragile body & mind but things of choice: what to play, what was right/wrong, or how to do something, was a toss up. We ate breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast. I knew why you shouldn't give a bunch of sugar to a kid but sometimes I did it anyway. A sugar crash is basically a nap! However I didn't know why little kids couldn't have spicy foods so I let them have it...only to have to deal with the messy aftermath.
We learned how to be a family, regardless of outside influences, through gaining extended family members who would prove to be lifelong support and connections. I was and am a firm believer in it takes a VILLAGE to raise a child.
As Well As
As I said before, we REALLY grew up together. Having to get up early in the mornings, I quickly learned the importance of the bedtime ritual. Knocking all 3 of them down for the night was no easy task! I had to wear them out before they wore ME out! We would do all types of things like have indoor stair luges with pillow armor or playing blackout hide-n-seek in a pitch dark house. I taught them how baby powder will make a spark in the dark. (Here's a hint--It involves hand-to-face action) And as they got older, it got weirder. They had rats, birds, fish, blue crabs, hamsters, cats and rabbits as pets. They paper mached the whole back of the lower level of my house. We dissected an albino frog on the sidewalk. We had Co2 BB gun wars which HURT but was fun when we ambushed others. There was not so gross stuff too like they learned how to build bikes from loose parts and work on cars.
Our family outings consisted of trips to museums, zoos, playgrounds, historical sites, and different states. The boys even went to Florida without me! I've still not seen the ocean...and don't care to. They had a chance to attended every school activity/event that they desired: band, chess, performing arts, football, basketball, track, proms, dances, out-of-towners, over-nighters, and pep rally's. My middle son was even blessed to participate in a trip to meet the 1st African American President of the United States, Barack O'Bama!
Anything that they wanted to do, I made sure they got to experience it. I should say WE made sure they got to experience because their dad and paternal family were involved with them from the very beginning. No matter how it had to be done even when it meant me working 2 jobs or me going without something for them to have everything.