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Starting kindergarten might be an emotional experience for some parents, but College Station resident Jeri Lawyer said she can't wait for the day to get here.
The mother of triplets said she's been living minute by minute since her sons were born.
Taking Austin, Miles and Tai to school marks the beginning of a different life for Lawyer.
"It's like I've been in this fog. I just started coming out of it," said Lawyer, who works part-time for a home decorator. "Maybe that's the start of kindergarten."
Having triplets is a juggling act of caring for the trio, so she said she's actually looking forward to having a few hours to herself for the first time in five years.
Jeri and Jim Lawyer are one of at least four area families whose triplets start kindergarten this month.
Bryan residents Samantha and Kash Krinhop and College Station residents Robin and Kyle Rackley also will bid farewell to their multiples. Meanwhile, Lori Dee Ash -- who lives in Bryan with her husband, Jim -- will begin homeschooling her triplets and 8-year-old daughter this fall.
Rackley said she's been shopping for Brinson, Lauren and Madelyn, 5-year-olds who will attend Forest Ridge this fall, and preparing for the moment when all three of her children will walk out the door on the same day.
"That first day of school is going to be incredibly hard for me," she said. "The house is going to go from completely full to completely empty in one day."
It helps to have friends, she said. Rackley, Krinhop, Lawyer and Ash are part of a support group for parents of multiples. The group of about 14 families meets monthly to share advice, stories and aid.
Having more than one child the same age can be challenging, the four moms agreed.
The beginning
When she brought Grace, Vaughn and Zane home from the hospital, Krinhop said, the triplets had to be fed every three hours for 30 minutes. So she would feed them for an hour and a half and then sleep an hour before waking up to start again.
Now that they're older, she said the challenges are different.
For example, she said, getting ready for all three kids to go to school will be tough logistically.
It will take two parents, Krinhop said, to make sure all three eat breakfast, have packed lunches, are dressed and ready to go to school.
"That's going to be a bittersweet moment," she said of dropping them off for their first day at South Knoll.
The first day of kindergarten will be different for Lori Dee Ash, who plans to homeschool Faith, Hope and Joy.
Although she won't be dropping them off, the first day still is a big step. As her triplets begin their school careers, Ash said she realized she's facing many years of homeschooling them, along with their sister Addie.
When asked why she decided to teach her kids at home, Ash said: "I believe that I can give them an overall better education than they could get in a public school."
Besides, she said, it's something she likes to do.
"I just love being with them. They're so fun," she said.
Homeschooling triplets isn't as hard as it seems, said Ash, who has been teaching them casually at home already. The three girls often learn from each other and build on one another's strengths, the mother said.
Ash said she loves being present for her kids' "aha" moments. It's exciting to see them understand how to read, count and tie their shoes, she said, adding that she takes time to help each girl learn in her own way.
"I just don't think another kindergarten teacher is going to be willing to do that," she said. "[The teacher] doesn't have time."
School days
As the triplets prepare for school, their parents said, they check off items on long lists as they buy three of everything they need.
Krinhop said she's already bought nine boxes of crayons, six boxes of markers and 12 bottles of glue for their first day.
Some parents can pass down supplies from their older kids, but multiples need everything at the same time. And the parents said they are looking long-term, too. Now the triplets need crayons and markers but in the not-too-distant future, they'll be looking at cars and college tuition.
"Financially, it's really hard," Rackley said.
That's where the group comes in. Parents of older multiples can pass down clothes and offer helpful tips for sharing and managing a full household.
Advice from an older parent is what led both Rackley and Krinhop, whose kids will attend different schools, to place their triplets in the same class for their first year at school. It could be harder for the teacher to deal with having siblings in the same class, but Krinhop and Rackley said it will be much easier for the parents to have the same homework, birthday parties and school work for their three kids.
Meanwhile, Lawyer, who also has a 7-year-old, said she's considering placing her children at separate schools.
She said she wants them to learn to be independent and be free to be individuals.
"They feel comfortable together, so I think they get in a little more trouble together," she said.
Aside from the extra challenges of caring for multiples, Krinhop said the concerns parents have about their kids and school are the same, no matter how many children they have.
"I think I've probably got the same fears as any parent," she explained.
One thing that Krinhop, Ash and Lawyer don't have to worry about is their kids having friends at school. As triplets, they always will have close friends at home.
It's a bond that Rackley said even a parent can't understand.
"There's just a really special closeness between them," Krinhop said. "They've always had a built-in playmate."
• Janet Phelps' e-mail address is janet.phelps@theeagle.com.
