Jodi's gorgeous all-girl family
Are you a parent of same-sex children? Two Essential Baby mums tell what life is like in their all-boy and all-girl families!
Read Jenni's story on her beautiful all-boy family
Read Jodi's story on her gorgeous all-girl family below.
Jodi tells what life is in her all-girl household (all girls except for husband Russell that is!)
Who's in your family?
Me, Jodi, 36 years old, financial manager, IT specialist, cook, cleaner, nurse, taxi driver, photographer… and, in my spare time, I have a full time job as a Multimedia Technician in the Australian Army.
My husband, Russell, 39 years old, mechanic, carpenter, cook, cleaner, taxi driver, hockey coach, unrelenting romantic, clown… and, in his spare time, he has a full time job as a Driving Instructor in the Australian Army.
Daughter #1, Jaimi, 16 years old, Guitar Hero champion (in her own mind!), Sydney Swans #1 fan, dishwasher... she also has an Autism Spectrum Disorder, an Intellectual Disability and Hypothyroidism. Jaimi is my favourite.
Daughter #2, Zoe, 14 years old, boss (of the kids, that is), fashion consultant, hairdresser, A-grade student, language savant, hockey player, beauty specialist and babysitter. Zoe is my favourite.
Daughter #3, Darci, 12 years old, conciliator, tom-boy, animal lover, dog-walker, artist, day-dreamer, clean freak, hockey goalie, class captain, best and fairest winner, quiet achiever and citizenship award winner. Darci is my favourite.
Daughter #4, Xanthia, 7 years old, clown, artist, princess, dancer, hockey player, energizer bunny, fashion consultant, daddy's girl, runner, reader, finger sucker, hairdresser and a clone of her dad. Xanthia is my favourite.
Daughter #5, Willow, 5 years old, the baby, snuggler, precocious, hockey player, day-dreamer, dancer, dolly baby lover, thumb sucker, boundary pusher and eternal sweetie-pie. Willow is my favourite.
Before having children, did you ever imagine which sex or which mix of sexes your children might be?
I was just nineteen when I fell pregnant with Jaimi. Up until that point, I hadn't even considered having children, let alone what sex they might be. I honestly had no preference one way or the other. I just prayed for 'healthy'.
What is the main thing you notice about having an 'all girl' family?
The chatter… it's incessant. Talking, squealing, giggling, gossiping, chatting… did I mention squealing! Oh, and toilet paper… holy cow do we ever go through some toilet paper… I should own shares in the company!
Do you find there are benefits to having children of the one sex?
Absolutely. We can all talk freely about gender specific issues without the fear of ridicule or embarrassment. Shaving, periods, bras, pads and tampons are all common conversation topics in our home. And don't feel sorry for Russ, he loves giving his input - as misguided as that may be sometimes!
Do you feel that your family is complete now, or are you considering another child in the future?
My immediate family is complete. Full stop. The next babies born into this family will be my grandchildren… and that better not be for a long, long time!
When pregnant with children subsequent to your first, what kind of comments did you receive from people concerning the sex of your unborn child?
Everyone just assumed that I wanted a boy this time… the more I protested, the more convinced they were that I was just protecting myself from the inevitable disappointment I was obviously going to feel if I had another girl! My girls are gorgeous… how could I possibly be disappointed?
So, what is life like on a daily basis with your gorgeous girls?
Frenetic. Alarm goes off at 6am, Russ gets up and carries Willow back to our bed for me to snuggle while he has his shower. In the meantime, the older girls are busy getting their brekkie, having showers, getting dressed, packing bags etc. After my shower, I have a queue of girls waiting to have their hair done, school notes signed ("Oops, I forgot this note from a week ago!"), planners signed, homework printed out. Russ heads out the door sometime between 6:30-7:30am. The girls and I all leave at 7:50am - me to work (just 2.5km away) and the girls to the bus stop at the street.
I arrive home in the afternoon to a flurry of afternoon tea, homework, computer time, readers and talking - the never-ending, excited, energetic chatter that all just seems to blend in together. After about an hour, we settle into our night-time routine of making lunches, preparing dinner, homework, showers, chores. Russ arrives home and takes over the 'readers'. Xan and Willow take turns in reading to him while I have some me time on the computer. We all sit down together to eat dinner - half an hour of just face-to-face family time.
Then the chaos starts again - dishes, chores, uniforms, teeth, pyjamas and final snuggles before toilet and bed. Jaimi, Darci, Xanthia and Willow are in bed by 8:30pm and Zoe by 9pm. The rest of the night is quiet, just Russ and I, sometimes together on the couch; sometimes on different computers in separate rooms… but it is peaceful. We normally go to bed around 11pm, though I do find it hard to leave the us/me time behind to go and sleep, it just seems like a waste of an opportunity, a waste of the peace.
Jodi
