It's amazing how much attention triplets attract from people of all walks of life. When parents welcome triplets into the world, they are required to open their personal lives to the world. I've been amazed by the number of complete strangers who stop my husband and I while we're out with the triplets and ask us if they're natural. Suddenly, my health history is public knowledge. What's even more shocking is the number of people who want to touch the triplets or take their picture. I always wonder what they plan to do with the pictures when they get them home. Do they plan to show them to friends and family to prove they met a set of triplets? What else would they want them for? I find this request to be so odd.

With triplets, particularly young triplets who look alike and are still similar in size, even a short errand to pick up milk at the grocery store can take an hour when you add on the extra time to answer triplet-related questions and respond to comments. Surprisingly, people feel free to provide unkind and often rude comments with no remorse. I can't even count the number of people who have made comments like, "I'd kill myself" when they see triplets. Luckily, my children are still too young to understand what these people mean, but one day they will. I can't imagine how I'll explain these comments to my children. I can already hear the conversation in my head, "Mommy, why did that couple say they'd kill themselves if we were their children?" Now, I just have to figure out what my response will be. To date, my only defense to these negative comments from complete strangers has been to respond with, "That's so mean." My hope is the person who made the remark will realize their comments were hurtful, and perhaps the next set of triplets they see won't have to be the subject of their callous criticisms.

For anyone who'd like to get a taste of celebrity, load a set of triplet infants or toddlers into a stroller and go out anywhere in public. Passersby won't be able to resist pointing and staring. Parents of triplets learn to accept this loss of anonymity as a normal part of life. In fact, I can't recall a single time I went out with my triplets and did not have people stare at us or stop us to ask questions. It takes three times as long to get triplets out of the house and in and out of the car. Adding time for unsolicited interrogations is something most triplet parents don't have time for and completely dread.

With that said, I have to mention that not all people provide negative commentary or ask insensitive questions when they stop us to talk about our triplets. Many people are truly enamored with them and think the addition of triplets to a family is a wonderful thing. I always concur and thank them for their support and kind words. When you're used to people always saying something rude, it's a pleasant surprise to hear someone say something positive for a change. Next time you see a set of triplets, look away or say something positive, but please, don't say, "Better you than me." If I had a nickel for everytime I heard that phrase, I wouldn't need to set up college funds for my triplets.