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Not Just Treading Water Any More
I took all three children out for the day. We rode our bikes into town, and successfully navigated through crowds and across roads without the use of a stroller.
In the past six years of having children, I have been the proud owner of four different strollers, two of which were doubles. Today I suddenly realised that my youngest will be three at the end of the year, and my days of pushing strollers are numbered. I will miss it.
You’re probably wondering why on earth would I miss pushing around a large contraption that gets stuck in doorways and takes up a disproportionately huge amount of space in my living room. Let me explain. First of all, I am fiercely in love with my stroller. It is a Phil & Ted’s with the double seat attachment, and it is probably the best piece of baby equipment I have ever owned. I used an elephantine side-by-side stroller when my first two were small, and while it did have a large amount of storage underneath, it was horrendously difficult to push around. If you are unfamiliar with the Phil & Ted’s design, it carries two children, one on top of the other. This means that the stroller itself is as narrow as many other single strollers, and it remains easy to push and manoeuvre in tight spaces. Factor in it’s highly trendy status, and you’ve got a winning design.
But more than the stroller’s ease of use and cool factor is that it serves as a focal point for my children whenever we are out. Any children walking alongside me have had it drilled into their heads that they must hold onto the side of the stroller at all times or there will be trouble.
The rare times we’ve been out sans stroller have been disastrous. Three small children careen off in different directions, and refuse to hold my hand when we cross roads. I have been known to resort to half dragging, half carrying several children along at one time because I cannot let them out of my sight for one second. They do not enjoy holding my hand for long periods of time, and my desperate attempt to keep them near by encouraging them to hold onto my jeans pocket as we walked along must never be repeated again.
Today’s foray into stroller-less living went well. The children stayed pretty close to me overall, and they are getting good at shepherding each other along when one lags behind. We all held hands in one long conga line to cross the road, and they remembered to wait for the “green man” to cross.
As I watched the kids play in the open pedestrianized square in town center, I realized that things are actually getting easier. The improvements have come in almost imperceptible increments, but they are there. Just four months ago, setting the kids free in a sort-of-busy open-air shopping area would have sent my blood pressure soaring. Now, I can handle it. I can reasonably expect all three kids to stay in range, and I can guide them to our next destination without having to resort to tantrums (mine).
It’s nice to have these moments of looking back to see how far I’ve come. I think we’re doing okay, and what a relief it is.
So true!! It makes me want to buy a stroller like yours…just because it sounds so cool.
Awesome! I thought I was the only one with a militantly enforced “hold the stroller” rule! I also love my tandem, it’s a regular Graco, but it works just fine. I also have a Graco single, an umbrella stroller and a tandem snap’n'go left over from the twins’ infant days and I’ve loved each in its turn. My twins are three and they’ve finally gotten to the point where I can give them some freedom without worrying about them doing themselves injury. It is a remarkable feeling.