An Open Letter to the Mom of Four I Met at the Zoo
Dear Mom of Four, “Are they all yours?” you asked and responded with such glee when I said, “Yes—all four!” There we were, peering off the overlook at a snoozing grizzly bear at the Central Park Zoo . I snapped a gazillion photos of my brood, trying to get eight eyes to stop squinting simultaneously. Then you rolled up in your double stroller, big kids clamoring for a spot on-board while your baby tried for a nap. “Four! That makes me so happy!” you gushed. “I can’t wait to go without a stroller , like you.” As it was a school holiday, we were both loaded up with four kiddos apiece plus plenty of gear, making the most of a beautiful spring day in New York City. “Well, our stroller is waiting at the bottom of the steps,” I explained, “but it is a lot easier when the youngest can walk a bit.” “And you live in the city?” you continued. “Do you know anyone else here with four kids?” “We know lots with three but just a few with four. And yes, Upper East