On May 10th, 2016, my life changed; my sister had twin boys. When we found out she was pregnant for twins it was such an exciting time! Especially since we did not even know that we had the possibility of having twins in our family. After my sister had twins, we looked at our families and could see that we had the possibility of having them. Even though I’m not the one that had the twins, I have been around them enough to know some things that seem to be true when you have twins.
1. Just because they are twins doesn’t mean that they will be exactly alike.
If something comes in a pack of two, that doesn’t mean it will be exactly alike. God cannot create the same individual twice. In my experience, one of my nephews is more to himself, while the other one is more bubbly and will smile at everyone. One of my nephews has more hair than the other, but that doesn’t mean anything. Everyone is supposed to be different, even twins.
2. When you have twins, their is no such things as a “quick shopping trip.”
I have been on so many grocery or shopping trips with my sister. My job is to push them in their stroller and make sure they stay happy. Twins are two separate individuals so this means it takes more time to get them out of the car and in the store. If you reading this and have twins, be patient with yourself, it will get easier.
3. Twins will always be compared to each other, and there isn’t much you can do to stop it.
I even catch myself comparing my nephews, and they are only 8 months old. They will be compared about how they act differently (or alike), and how they look different (or alike). Most people might even be shocked they are twins because they look/act so differently. It is stuck in people’s heads that twins are supposed to be exactly alike, and when they aren’t, it gets noticed.
4. Feeding time is VERY hectic, especially when they are babies.
I'm not gonna sugar coat this one, feeding two babies at once is hard and stressful. It's harder when they are babies because you feed them milk and there are two babies hungry at the same time! You have to be prepared with the bottles and have them ready to go before they both start crying because they are hungry. I have helped feed my nephews a couple times and it was hectic, especially when they were first born and had to be feed every couple of hours. I don’t mean to scare anyone, it gets easier. Its just tough to adjust to at first.
5. Sharing will be a challenge.
Sure with most children sharing is a challenge but with twins they share more than regular kids. They share a birthday, a room (sometimes) and bathroom. When they are babies they will share most/all of their toys. They will fight for attention from both parents, but they will learn to share as all kids do. Sharing will be challenging, but not impossible to get through.
I’m no expert in knowledge about twins, my nephews aren’t even a year old yet. I had to babysit a friend's pair of twin cousins for experience. I do know that twins are a fun and exciting joy, no matter how challenging it can be at times. I always say that God wouldn’t give you something He knows you can’t handle, so enjoy those twins! One day you will look back and cherish all those funny stories with your twins.
