Hessle triplets take on first day of 'big school' together
Tanya and Kris talk through their morning routine and being triplet parents
Hessle triplets Austin, Ethan and Rupert have reached a big milestone this week, starting 'big school' for the very first time.
As most parents know, getting a child in the school routine is hectic at best, but mum and dad Tanya and Kris Hall have a huge challenge on their hands. With three excited four-year-old boys raring to start school, they have explained how they get through their days.
Tanya admitted how this new stage in their lives has been emotional for her and Kris and they are already looking forward to October half-term. However, they both took the week off to properly prepare the boys and 'let everything sink in'.
"We were nervous about how they would adapt to school but they have mostly been really excited," Tanya said. "Austin is usually our shy one but he has really embraced the change and sort of led the way into school and been more talkative.
"Ethan is generally our confident triplet and absolutely loved his uniform. He didn't want to take it off! However, going into school that morning he was a little more quiet and reserved.
"Rupert seems to be taking it in his stride and it is so interesting to see them change already. We have bought them all their own little keyrings for their book bags so they feel like they have their own identity going into school."
The parents didn't quite know how the triplets - who are identical - would be received in a new setting but took comfort in the fact they had each other in the same class. "We always tell them if people ask what triplets mean, it means 'born together and best friends forever'," Tanya continued.
"We always want them to think it is a positive thing and to be proud of it. If they get attention, they need to see it as a good thing"
Kris added: "The teachers, parents and other children could not have been more lovely. They have had a lot of people say 'wow triplets' but in a very positive way."
To be best prepared for the first day, Tanya made sure to lay out all of their uniforms the night before in the living room. Although the boys woke up at 6am, buzzing for the day ahead, Tanya admitted it was still a rush to get everyone there on time.
"We've also had to explain to them that they can't just snack through the day at school so they must eat a proper breakfast," she said. "They're not quite used to it just yet but we hope that they will get into a routine soon.
"People say we make it look easy but it takes a lot of effort and groundwork to make it look like this. We have always encouraged the triplets to use kind words and kind hands, which is why they are able to play respectfully with each other and others.
"And as they grow up, it is nice to see that the boys are already finding what they're good at. Ethan is great at phonics, Rupert is brilliant at puzzles and Austin always breaks things so he can fix them again, so we say he's our engineer."
The triplets have made a name for themselves on their Instagram page 'Triplet Tales', where they have 102,000 followers, and they can regularly be seen in matching outfits. It may be hard for strangers to tell them apart, but subtle differences such as their height and voices make it a lot easier.
"I don't force them to wear matching outfits but quite often, they will argue over wanting to wear the same thing," Tanya said. "It also makes it easy to do a headcount when we're out in the park and it also makes shopping less time-consuming.
"Recently, they have been picking out their own things like water bottles and keyrings, so the matching might not last too much longer."
Tanya and Kris were very surprised when they found out they were pregnant with triplets, especially due to them being identical. After a difficult pregnancy, Tanya called the triplets her 'miracles' and said she couldn't have felt more blessed.