Three’s the charm: Family of triplets anticipates commencement and beyond

They will graduate from Westborough High School tomorrow like they have done everything else in life, one after another.

The Guest triplets, Kevin, Beth and Julie, regard the milestone with both relief and reluctance.

“It’s kind of bitter sweet,” says Beth who will attend Roger Williams College in Rhode Island this fall with her sister, Julie. 

“We’re going to miss our friends and family,” the two girls explain, nearly in unison.

Their brother Kevin, who plans to major in music performance and education at Ithaca College in September, agrees. 

“It’s happy. Sad. Awesome. I’ll miss Westborough. I’ll miss them,” he says, looking at his sisters.

The teenage awkwardness of sharing feelings and touting accomplishments before a stranger is relieved for the moment by their parents’ fond memories of raising triplets.

“We’ve always had fun together,” interjects Tricia, who with her husband, Tom, adopted the siblings from El Salvador.

“People have told us how fortunate the kids are to have us. We’ve never seen it that way. We are the ones who have been blessed,” she says.  

This is a family who enjoys each other’s company, apparent by their easy laughter and spontaneous affection.

From their Partridge Street home this week, Tom and Tricia, both 58, describe the joy of simultaneously ushering three kids through childhood while their 18-year-old children, Kevin, Beth and Julie, discuss their hopes and dreams for the future.

That’s when Tricia and Tom flew to El Salvador to adopt their three, ten-month-old babies through the Waltham-based agency Wide Horizons for Children.

At the time, a 12-year civil war had devastated the Central American country, and turreted tanks with machine guns were the unfortunate backdrop to the tender moment.

Back in Westborough, it took a surprisingly short time for the childless couple to adapt to becoming an instant family of five. 

“People ask me whether it was difficult taking care of three babies at once, but since I had never had one, I didn’t feel like it was a lot of work,” Tricia says.

Although the Guests had set up a nursery with separate cribs for their children, Julie, Beth and Kevin had other ideas.

“I would come into their room and find them all sleeping in the same crib,” Tricia says. “They never cried in the morning. I knew they were up because we could hear them playing.”

The couple grew used to strangers’ stares and fielding many questions when they went out as a family.

“I remember taking them shopping with my niece when they were toddlers. I set up the triple stroller, and put them in it one by one,” Tricia says. “When I looked up, I heard clapping from all these people standing in line who were watching us.”

The applause would continue as the three children grew up, becoming standout musicians, athletes and students in their own right.

Kevin is as identified with his trumpet as he is with his two sisters. Recently he was awarded a certificate of appreciation by high school fine arts coordinator David Jost for his participation in concert band, wind ensemble, marching band, brass ensemble, repertoire jazz ensemble, festival jazz ensemble, jazz combo, orchestra, and pit orchestra.

An Eagle Scout, he is also an accomplished singer and belongs to the high school concert choir, chamber singers, men’s a cappella group, and was selected for Central Districts and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

“I hope to one day travel the world and perform,” he says of his future plans.

Julie, a member of the National Honor Society, plays the French horn in the concert band and is a varsity soccer player and track runner. A participant in the high school Multicultural Counsel, she also belongs to Interact, a community service club.

“I want to major in anthropology and I’m interested in museum work and artifacts,” she explains.

Beth, who enjoys creative writing, plays the clarinet in the concert band. She is a varsity soccer goalie and track runner. Also inducted into the National Honor Society, she writes for the high school literary magazine and newspaper, and is a published poet.

“I plan to major in creative writing and hope to be an author and poet one day,” she says.

Proud parents, proud children

By any measure, Tom and Tricia have much to be proud of. Their three children have not only succeeded in Westborough, they’ve excelled.

But pride travels both ways. Beth, Julie and Kevin are anxious to point out their parents’ involvement in the community.

They rattle off with ease some of the committees Tricia and Tom have served on through the years: Project Graduation, Relay for Life, Boy Scout Treasurer; Referee Director, Westborough Music Parents Association, and soccer parents extraordinaire, to name only a few.

“We think it is important to be involved in our children’s lives and to give something back,” explains Tricia.

For both of them, trying to switch gears come autumn will be difficult.

Tom, who works in lighting design, says it will be strange not seeing the three siblings off to school.

“Tricia and I have worked a flexible schedule, so I’ve been the one making their lunches every morning for the past 12 years. She leaves before they get up so she can be home for them in the afternoon,” he explains of their family routine.

“I will miss seeing their friends come and go,” Tom continued. “And, I’ll miss the performances and games.”

For Tricia, who is a financial administrator for Harvard Medical School, the past year has been the most hectic of all. Besides after school activities, there were college applications, financial aid packages, auditions, and college interviews — all done times three.

While excited about tomorrow’s graduation ceremony, both parents agree it’s their children’s characters for which they are most proud. 

“Really, if your kids turn out honorable, truthful and caring, what more could you want?” she asks, rhetorically.

(Published in The International Library of Poetry, 2007)