Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two

It’s a well-known fact that parenting is hard. Whether it’s attempting to go places with your kids, find a group of friends, or simply referee sibling relationships, surviving and thriving in a given day can be tough.

There’s hard and then there’s just plain daunting, though. Remember when you brought home your first baby, your newborn, and you felt completely overwhelmed and lost? Imagine someone handing you triplets– and you were left to parent them without a partner! That’s exactly what Hayley Arsenault felt after giving birth to her beautiful triplets, Hogan, Rylan, and Finn.

The triplets spent over a month in the hospital, and thankfully when Hayley brought them home, her mother was able to spend a few weeks helping her get her bearings. But, as she tells Babble, “When the time was coming up for her to return, I started to realize I may need a few extra hands during the day.”

So Arsenault did what any resourceful young person would do with the internet at her fingertips: she called for help on social media, of course! Living in the small Canadian community of Prince Edward’s Island, which Hayley described as a “small everyone knows everyone community”, she felt comfortable putting feelers out for people to (hopefully) come to her rescue.

“I expected some response, but the feedback I received is mind-blowing. I started a week-by-week schedule and when volunteers are leaving, they will mark themselves in for the following week as well.” She shares.

Three of the volunteers were Jenny MacDougall, Alice Mokler, and Anita Arsenault; all sisters, and all grandmothers themselves! They set up a weekly appointment, so every Wednesday morning at 9 AM sharp they gather at Hayley’s home, each taking charge of one baby, and catch up on each other’s lives.

HAYLEY ARSENAULT

Are you grinning from ear to ear by now? Because we definitely are.

“I don’t see this as a chore in any way,” MacDougall tells CBS News. “For me, it’s a gift to come here. We chat, we compare the babies. Love every minute of it.

What a beautiful example of older, more experienced women stepping in to help young mothers in need. I can imagine it not only helps with the logistics of feeding, changing, and snuggling three needy newborns, but with loneliness and sleep deprivation, too.

HAYLEY ARSENAULT

“It takes a village to raise a child and we’re willing to help out.” MacDougall explains.

As if that weren’t enough, the local community is soon to hold a fundraising event for Arsenault and the babies, complete with a bake sale, talent show, donation box, and auction.

Okay, where is this town and how do we get there?

We’re so happy that Hayley and the triplets have found their village. I expect these three lucky little ones will have a community full of Aunties, Uncles, and Grandma’s as they grow, and we can’t think of anything better than that.

About Rachel Kiser

Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.

View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.