Comments on: Discrimination Against Twins

By: marj aka thriver

marj aka thriver — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:01:31 +0000

I’m a twin myself, so I find your blog quite interesting. I found your site through Summer’s blog carnival. This discrimination is absolutely outrageous! Didn’t we already go through all this in the past with discriminating against those in wheelchairs?! Crazy!

By: Dara Lee

Dara Lee — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:28:56 +0000

Um, no, I’ve never had this problem. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’ve had people run to open doors, move things out of the way and store personnel talk to the boys and keep them occupied while I try to grab something that I can’t get to with the stroller. Employees carry things for me and even help me put the boys into the van. A business has never been rude to me. Individuals have been rude to me though, but I sort of expect that. We’re slow and take up a lot of room and some people just don’t have the patience for it.

I’m dumbfounded that a library would have that policy, or a museum. I’ll usually call first to see if we’ll fit, but most of the time I get “We’re wheelchair accessible, you should be fine.” How are we supposed to go out? And we are supposed to go out, even all by ourselves.

By: Emma B

Emma B — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:19:11 +0000

We had hoped to take a trip down to New Orleans to see an art exhibit, but the museum doesn’t allow “large strollers”, so we wound up not going. I was a little aggravated, but in that context, I was more understanding — I’d hate to run it into a pedestal.

I do think that by “large stroller” people sometimes mean the “travel system” type stroller for singletons — i.e. umbrellas are OK, but not the big stroller with the infant seat clicked into it. Some of those things aren’t much smaller than my big Graco beast.

I am, however, considering getting a smaller umbrella-type double stroller now that the babies are older, as a secondary measure. It takes up more side-to-side room, but is less unwieldy overall.

I wouldn’t feel bad about parking a wheelchair in the way, but I would sure smile and apologize to people trying to get by. In fact, I’m writing from a restaurant right now, and my crutches are kind of in the traffic path, and I’ve done just that. I try to handle the stroller the same way — not that having twins is on par with a disability, just that the stroller is as essential a piece of equipment to handling two babies by yourself.

By: Barb

Barb — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:47:07 +0000

Wow…if that were me, I’m not sure what I’d do. As any mom of multiple kids knows, it IS a lot of work to get out with them. I have 10 month old twins and I try to get out at least 1-2 times a week just to save my sanity and expose them to family, friends, new places and experiences. In my mind, a library would be a ’safe’ place to visit, not too far from home, and family friendly. Gosh, it makes me worry about venturing there someday soon.

By: Laine

Laine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:59:57 +0000

This post is to Jen, regarding the Melting Pot. That reception you got, while seemingly rude, had nothing to do with your child. That restaurant is all over the US now and they only do meals by reservation. That is because each meal is a large-scale, multi-course production. The average time that it takes a group (of two, three, or more) to enjoy the full meal is 2-3 hours, and they don’t allow walk-ins when their reservation book is full regardless of who it is.
I do think a small child would be bored senseless in the Melting Pot. Not to mention that the food is cooked by you at your table so there is a continuous boiling pot of oil, cheese, or chocolate at any given time that would be disastrous for a little one to touch. I’m no melting pot apologist, just wanted to fill you in on what the other side of that story might be.
Alice, your story is terrible.. I’d take that free meal, sock it to them and then never go back. After all, that place is pricey- overpriced if you ask me.

On, and on topic, that is TOTAL BS that anyone would forbid twin strollers or multi-child toting moms. Unacceptable.

By: SusanR

SusanR — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:40:31 +0000

That is absolutely ridiculous!!! I’d write to the paper, go to city hall, I’d make my voice heard.

I’ve never had anything like that happen to me, although I am tired of stores putting their aisles so close together you can’t get through.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:44:22 +0000

I have never been turned away from anywhere per se but I’ve been given lots of dirty looks and unwelcoming stares. It’s hard effing work taking twins out so I always felt like I deserved a medal or at least a high five. I stayed home A LOT from playgroups and library super fun times (or whatever they are when the boys were younger just because I knew that I wouldn’t enjoy myself.
I would get so irritated seeing the mama with one baby jiggling in her lap with a latte in her hand while I was filled with anxiety trying to hold it all together. So, yeah.
But I STILL get dumb remarks ‘wow, what a nightmare’ ‘you have your hands full’ etc. And they’re two now. Do people ever say that to folks with two kids of different ages? Because that seems like more work to me.
*end rant*

By: Stacie

Stacie — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:05:17 +0000

Everyone with offers to write letters and such…you should take your offers over to Heather’s web site and let her know directly!

By: LauraC

LauraC — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:48:50 +0000

That is absolutely ridiculous! We’ve never encountered anything like that. We even got an insane discount at Gymboree and I took them on my own frequently.

I’d be up for writing some letters and making some calls!

By: Swistle

Swistle — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:16:00 +0000

“Not go out alone with so many children”? *smacks forehead* OF COURSE! I am SO STUPID! I keep leaving the children’s nannies in the car!