Things I’ve Learned Thus Far Parenting Twins
- You won’t remember much about the first three months.
- It really does get easier after a year.
- People do finally stop asking you really stupid questions in public once they are toddlers (and, no, I don’t miss it.)
- You have to pace yourself.
- I can lift about 50 pounds at once (and increasing every minute) (Eva)
- I can live on less sleep than I thought.(Eva)
- I am emotionally weaker and stronger then I ever imagined. (Dawn)
- Lifting 50 pounds daily and chasing two babies all day WILL NOT make you lose weight. (Lesley) (or it will make you lose too much ~ me)
- There is nothing more precious that twin love. (Lesley)
- You will do things that will not only amaze others, but also yourself. (Lesley)
- If you didn’t have patience before twins, you will afterwards. (Lesley)
- Unlike with a single baby, you have to come to terms with a certain degree of otherwise avoidable crying; changing one baby and then the other will usually result in the first one crying when put down, or the second one crying until it’s his/her turn. They won’t break and they will turn out to be a little more patient and sharing than single babies. (Jano)
- It is very difficult to deal with TWO crying babies. But you do, because if you don’t, who will? (Jano)
- It’s important to remember that they are not merely a unit of more than one child - they really do benefit from having one-on-one time with the important people in their lives. (Jano)
- Getting poop on yourself is not the end of the world. Gross, yes, but less gross as time goes on and it keeps happening. (Claudia)
- You will somehow make it through the day. Every day.(Claudia)
- Nothing is sweeter than watching them laugh at each other or hug each other. (Jenn)
- You feel like complete and utter crap when you just can’t meet everyone’s needs.
I’ll add more as they occur to me (and update the list from the comments with links back to the sources’ blogs.). What have you learned so far?
Stumble it!
Donate to the Zoë and Lennox Simpson Memorial Fund
and the 529 college savings accounts get a kickback.
May 1st, 2008 21:43
I’ve definitely learned all the ones you listed. Also:
*I can lift about 50 pounds at once (and increasing every minute)
*I can live on less sleep than I thought.
May 1st, 2008 22:03
Those are such good ones. I think the only one that I would add is:
I am emotionally weaker and stronger then I ever imagined.
May 1st, 2008 22:29
Hmm…definitely the ones listed and in previous comments.
*Lifting 50 pounds daily and chasing two babies all day WILL NOT make you lose weight.
*There is nothing more precious that twin love
*You will do things that will not only amaze other, but also yourself
*If you didn’t have patience beforetwins, you will after
May 1st, 2008 22:54
- unlike with a single baby, you have to come to terms with a certain degree of otherwise avoidable crying; changing one baby and then the other will usually result in the first one crying when put down, or the second one crying until it’s his/her turn. They won’t break and they will turn out to be a little more patient and sharing than single babies.
- it is very difficult to deal with TWO crying babies. But you do, because if you don’t, who will?
- it’s important to remember that they are not merely a unit of more than one child - they really do benefit from having one-on-one time with the important people in their lives.
May 2nd, 2008 14:43
- Getting poop on yourself is not the end of the world. Gross, yes, but less gross as time goes on and it keeps happening.
- You will somehow make it through the day. Every day.
May 2nd, 2008 21:31
Still waiting for the comments in public to stop, though they are less.
1. Nothing is sweeter than watching them laugh at each other or hug each other.
2. You feel like complete and utter crap when you just can’t meet everyone’s needs.
3. You feel like a superhero when you do manage to meet everyone’s needs.
May 2nd, 2008 23:40
1. Even though they are two totally different little people, you can love them both equally (but differently) and they can both seem utterly perfect to you.
2. That total meltdowns in public are not the end of the world. People are usually more sympathetic than you fear they will be.
3. That I really don’t need anyone to hold the door for me, even when I’m pushing an unwieldy twin stroller.
4. That I, too, can survive on less sleep than I ever thought possible. But that it will be more painful even than I imagined.
5. That no matter how much you try to treat your kids the same, they won’t let you. They will insist on being recognized as their own person and dealt with accordingly.
May 3rd, 2008 16:30
1. I can remember a lot more specific details about each of them than I ever thought was possible. (Like who had what medicine and who can/will eat what food.)
2. I too can survive with far less sleep than I thought possible, but it’s not pretty.
3. It’s not going to hurt anyone if someone eats a cracker in the tub while I’m changing the other two boys’ diapers.
4. Sometimes you just gotta forget about the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. and just play for a while.
May 4th, 2008 20:40
I can change a diaper in the dark while holding another one by the leg? I’m like a diaper ninja. If an evil villian sprayed dust in my eyes I could focus and change the diaper anyway.
May 5th, 2008 10:18
That the silence you desired to have when they were infants isn’t so wonderful when it involves two toddlers getting into trouble in the other room. Silence now means maximum multiples mischief!