School anxiety multiplies for parents of multiples

“This phase of ‘sole proprietorship’ is over,” said Kristy Van Meter. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be, but it’s still tough.”

She suspects that she’ll be a little panicky as she awakens her brood at about 6 a.m. Not unusual for the parents of young children, but multiply the usual anxiety by five.

Kristy and husband Clay didn’t plan on multiple births. They certainly didn’t plan to have “multiple multiples,” as they’re called. They didn’t use fertility drugs.

There are, nonetheless, five little Van Meters.

Organization is key: the kids will have picked out their own shirts the night before, with Kristy completing the matching outfits, she said. At this writing, breakfast had not been decided upon. Could be eggs. Might be waffles. Maybe cereal.

Kristy says organization is not her strong suit, but she has gotten better at it by necessity.

“Kristy doesn’t give herself enough credit,” says Clay, a Peachtree City insurance agent. “She’s not too militaristic but is very flexible, which I think is a huge attribute for any mother to have, specifically in our situation. At the same time, the kids know the rules.”

Last year Kristy was able to take the twins to school and go back home to get the triplets ready for preschool, which started later.

The Van Meter children’s births defy statistical odds. Jackson and Truitt arrived in late 2000, when fewer than 3 percent of live births in Georgia were twins. In 2004 — the year that saw the arrival of Tyler, Ford and Kate — only 136.8 out of every 100,000 births were triplets.

Having a set of each is much less likely. Having two toddlers and three infants in the house a few years ago meant round-the-clock feedings and going through about 21 diapers a day.

Now Kristy and Clay get to see how their youngest fare in the classroom.

Make that classrooms. The children will be spread among four rooms. Kate and Tyler will be together, the other three on their own.

Kristy and Clay said they explained the setup to the kids and they were fine with it. And Jackson and Truitt, the twins, had asked to have separate classes this year in third grade.

The triplets started preschool together and the school (Peachtree City Christian Church) suggested splitting them up. It worked well. “They did great in their classes after that,” Kristy said.

Georgia law mandates that multiples in the same grade be placed in the same classroom in a public school, but the Fayette County school system and many others allow parents to separate them if they request it. Some schools suggest that separation is better.

The Van Meters are looking ahead to the challenges that come with five elementary-aged children, from dealing with different teachers to juggling an ever-expanding extracurricular schedule.

Like everything else, this life experience comes multiplied. “This is all we know,” Clay said. “We don’t have anything else to compare it to.”