Back to school fever and the empty nest syndrome are closing in. And there's nothing your family doctor can do about it.
Lori and Paul Bothun are taking the empty nest in their stride. They soon will be waving goodbye to triplet sons -- Ryan, Loren and Adam -- who graduated this spring from Red River High School, where they were teammates on the football squad. And they are heading out in three directions. Ryan has chosen UND. Loren is bound for NDSU in Fargo, and Adam will attend St. Cloud State.
No longer will the Bothun family need big milk deliveries to the house. In addition to the triplets, a daughter, Rachel, has left the nest and is in dental school at Creighton. Another son, Chris, is also following in his father's footsteps and starting out at the dental school at the University of Minnesota.
Near Cavalier, N.D., the Helgoe quadruplets are packing their bags and also heading out to college in four different places. Leighanna will attend Mayville State. Mackenzie is going to Wahpeton to attend North Dakota State School of Science. Shelby is checking in at UND; and Casey, the only boy, will seek out agricultural courses at NDSU in Fargo. He long has helped his father on the family farm.
Cathy Helgoe, who works at the bank in Cavalier, says life for parents of quadruplets has never been dull. But it always has been rewarding to see them grow up. They have worked at jobs around Cavalier and saved money for college. The quadruplets will be 19 on August 21. Their parents don't mind saying they are proud of them.
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Mothers and fathers of multiples are buying back-to-school supplies in mass amounts. They learn how to deal with children often on the same page and just as often going in different directions. Rhonda and Mark Peterson, who have triplets in Red River High School, have them sharing one car.
The joy of having three at once is "indescribable," according to Rhonda Peterson. Through the years, she has had the friendship of others with multiple births -- including Lori Bothun. Parents tend to stick together, and there is a Mothers of Multiples Club that helps them to bond.
Rhonda and her husband, Mark Peterson, have been doing everything in threes plus one since their triplets were born. They have known the joy, and the challenges. They have an older son, Grant, who will be attending Northland Community Technical College in East Grand Forks.
For triplets, life is all about sharing. Almost everything. Except for birthday cakes. Their late grandmother, Margaret Peterson, always made sure to bake three cakes for their Oct. 29 birthday.
Rhonda Peterson is a family and consumer science teacher at Central High School. Mark is manager of Peterson Construction. Like other parents of multiples, they have learned to buy in quantities. It takes a full refrigerator to run a house full of teenagers.
The Friend quadruplets have grown up in Grand Forks schools and are sophomores this fall at Red River High School. They are the only children of John and Stacy Friend. Their father says raising four at once has worked well. "They all do the same thing at the same time. They help each other. They get along well."
Stacy Friend does daycare in her home. John commutes to his work in Fargo. The quads are Courtney, Bailey, Brady and Nicholas.
She cried when the quads left for daycare long ago. As the parents say, "They grow up so fast."
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This is a message Loren and Alicia Hoheisel are taking to heart. They are treasuring their triplets -- Jaxson, Charlie and Ella -- born July 15, 2012. The parents are managing by juggling their time with child care. She works as a nurse, he is a sixth grade special education teacher at South Middle School.
While triplets and quadruplets come along from time to time, there seems to be no limit for twins. At last count, there were 79 sets of twins registered in Grand Forks Public Schools.
Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or (701) 772-1055.
