Bonus: Parenting Untold Stories

Part I: APT

Adrian and Riley visited the doctor’s clinic when the triplets were over two years old. Charlie, Jasper, and Kian got the flu. 

When the triplets entered the doctor’s clinic, they saw a cute baby girl. The baby was just six months old and was sitting on her mother’s lap. 

“Baby!” Charlie said first. She ran to the baby and held her hand. 

“Oh, no. Charlie. Don’t bother the baby,” Riley said. She tried to hold Charlie away, but her daughter wanted to play with the infant.

“I’m sorry,” Riley said to the baby’s mother. 

“It’s okay,” the baby’s mother said with a smile. “Your daughter loves babies. Does she want another sibling?”

The suggestion made Riley choke. The experience of having triplets was enough for her. She loved her children, but raising them simultaneously had been tough. Sadly, Riley did not get a chance to respond to the mother. Kian and Jasper all rushed to the baby with Charlie. 

“Hi, Baby!” Kian said. 

Jasper pinched the infant on the cheek. 

“Guys, be careful with the baby. She is still sensitive,” Adrian reminded his kids. He and the nanny tried to pull the triplets back, but Charlie was leading them. She refused to leave the baby alone!

Charlie kept holding the infant’s hand and rubbing it against her cheek. Her brothers also touched the baby’s leg, other arm, and head. 

The baby’s mother became concerned. She did not express it, but her discomfort showed in her expression. Because of this, the couple had to act fast. 

Riley pulled Kian. She sat across from the baby while settling her son into her lap. She said, “Why don’t we sing a song for baby instead?”

The nanny did the same, grabbing Jasper and putting him on her lap. Adrian was also quick to carry Charlie. He asked, “Do you want to sing a song for the baby?”

“Yes, Daddy!” Charlie said with a big smile on her face. 

“How about twinkle twinkle, little star?” Riley asked the triplets. 

“No, Mommy,” Kian said. Charlie and Jasper echoed their sister’s objection. 

“How about the wheels on the bus?” Adrian asked. “Let’s sing that for the baby.”

The goal was to keep the triplets away from the baby, especially since they had the flu. 

“No!” Yet again, Kian objected. 

“How about five little monkeys?” Riley asked, but still the same; Kian shook his head. Whatever he said, Charlie and Jasper followed his lead. 

“Well, okay, Kian. What do you want to sing to the baby?” Finally, Riley asked. 

Kian turned to Riley. He smiled and said, “APT.”

“What?” Adrian reacted. “What in the world is APT?”

The second Adrian asked, the baby’s parents, including the doctor’s secretary, chuckled. Seeing their reactions, Riley had a lightbulb moment. “APT?”

The kids nodded. 

“Oh!” Riley said. “APT!”

“What is APT?” Adrian asked again, and it left Riley laughing her heart out. 

Seconds later, Riley was singing APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and Adrian, although with a frown, performed the dance moves with his hands. The kids mirrored their daddy’s movements. 

~"Apateu, Apateu

Apateu, Apateu

Apateu, Apateu...

Uh,

uh-huh, uh-huh” ~

With his hands positioned in front of his chest, Adrian glided them inwards and outwards. As he did, Charlie encouraged, “Smile, Daddy!”

~"Apateu, Apateu

Apateu, Apateu

Apateu, Apateu...

Uh,

uh-huh, uh-huh” ~

****

Part II: Family Vacation

In one of their bi-weekly family gatherings, the Eros and the kings were torn about where to have their next grand vacation. 

At this point, Freya was turning seven years old, the triplets were three years old, Carson was turning six, and Theodore was four. 

“Let’s go to Paris this summer! I just love Paris!” Riley suggested. 

“But we have already been to Paris twice,” Freya said. “Can we go somewhere else?”

“Yeah! I don’t want Paris!” Charlie repeated. 

“Let’s go to the Maldives and enjoy the sun!” Charles suggested. 

“Maldives again?” Jasper asked. 

“Maldives is boring,” Carson remarked. 

“Even Hawaii is boring,” Theodore remarked. 

“Maldives, Paris, Hawaii, Cancun, London! How many times do we have to go there?” Kian remarked, leaving the adults dumbfounded. 

“Yeah, let’s go somewhere else!” Theodore suggested. 

“I’m so over Earth!” Jasper remarked. 

“Yeah! Why don’t we go to another planet?” Theodore suggested. 

“Yeah!” The kids said unanimously. 

Adrian and Riley, “...”

Renee and Anthony, “...”

Charles and Raelyn, “...”

After the shock, the adults laughed. Adrian cleared his throat and said, “How about we go to Andora?”

“It sounds like a planet,” Jasper suggested. 

Adrian realized that while he loved skiing, he had never taken the kids to the mountains. They had only been to cities, beaches, and theme parks. Thus, showing them a different kind of scenery might interest them. 

“Oooh! Wow!” The kids said, almost at the same time. 

“During summer, Andorra becomes the ultimate open-world adventure map. We can hike through ancient forests, where moss-covered stones hide secrets from another time. We can climb to the peaks where the air tastes like freedom. We can discover hidden lakes that shimmer like enchanted portals,” Adrian described. 

“It sounds out of this world!” Freya remarked. 

“I like it!” Charlie commented. 

“Let’s go to Andorra!” Theodore exclaimed, and the rest of the kids echoed the same.