Twin parenting

People say some really funny things to us when they find out that we have twins and a 3 year old. Many ask extremely inappropriate questions or make rude comments. Even though we already had a baby, being the parents of multiples is very different. We can't really go anywhere with them without countless numbers of people stopping us to ask questions or just stare at the freak show walking by. Read on for some of the things that people have asked us. Maybe you wondered some of these things about us too!

1. "Are they a boy and a girl?" Yes, yes they are. What gave it away? Was it the pink ensemble I have on one and the blue on the other? Clint and I often come up with sarcastic responses that we wish we would have said. One for this one was "They are both boys. We don't believe in gender stereotypes."

2. "Wow. You must be busy/have your hands full/be tired." Seriously.

3. "You have twins??? I would have killed myself if I was having twins." Nice. I'm glad I had them and you didn't then.

4. "My kids are 14/16/18 months apart so that is just as hard as having twins." No, it isn't. It is difficult, I'm sure but you did not have to be pregnant with 2 at once, breastfeed 2 at once, attempt to get them to sleep at the same time, deal with night feedings for 2, etc. I only get 1 year of EI even though I had 2 babies and I get the same amount that everyone else gets even though our expenses are higher. I will likely need to potty train 2, get 2 ready for the first day of school, teach 2 how to drive, and send 2 to university at the same time. That all being said there are some things that are easier or better with twins in my opinion. I can have them share a room, play together, and take them to the doctor at the same time. My family is complete and I don't ever have to be pregnant again (I got two for the price of one), I can feed them essentially the same foods at the same times, their sleep needs are similar so they often nap at the same time and I get to see their special bond develop more and more everyday. Just seeing them smile and laugh at each other each day makes me so thankful that I had them at the same time. I wouldn't have it any other way.

5. "I don't know how you do it." We don't find this comment rude or annoying but the truth is we don't know how we do it either. It is a daily effort and some days are a complete disaster while others are almost too easy. 

6. "Do twins run in your family? On your side or your husband's?" Yes, twins run in my family. My maternal aunt and uncle are twins. FYI, it is the amount of eggs released that result in spontaneous fraternal twinning so it is completely the mother's doing. I guess there is a chance that the twinning could run down genetically through a man to his daughter but twinning is not the result of any genetic link to the father of said twins. Grandfather on the maternal side, maybe. Father of twins, no.

7. "Are they identical?" No. A boy and a girl cannot be identical. One is a BOY and one is a GIRL. They are no more genetically alike than any other siblings would be. They simply share the same birthday.

8. "Are they sleeping through the night?" I know every mom gets this question. Ours are not sleeping through the night. But we have cut out night feedings between 11 and 6. They are nearly 6 months old and sometimes protest about this. The good news is that we have them both sharing a room again and they seem to be able to sleep through each others' protests. 

9. "How and when did you find out you were having twins?" I actually "knew" right away and kept telling Clint and my best friend that I thought I was pregnant with twins. Never disregard a mother's intuition! We found out officially when I was 7 weeks pregnant by ultrasound. I knew I was pregnant and something wasn't "normal". I actually thought I was miscarrying. So instead of having none we got two!! We are so, so thankful :-)