As parents of twins, we have heard it all. From “you have got your hands full” to “were they born naturally?” people love to give us their opinion on raising twins. In this blog post, we will take a look at 10 strange things that people say to parents of twins. Keep reading for some funny and insightful commentary!
1. How do you tell them apart?” Parents of twins are constantly asked this question. It’s not as difficult as people think! Parents obviously learn to tell their twins apart from a young age, and it will become second nature for them.
2. “Do they have different personalities?” Parents of twins are asked this question all the time. It’s true, twins share a special bond but that doesn’t mean they need to be in each other’s pockets every second of the day!
Parents of twins will often have different preferences for their kids than parents with just one child. Parents might ask if their kids like to do different things or if one is more of a troublemaker than the other.
Parents of twins will often say that they are surprised at how different their twins can be. Even though they share genes and spend most of their time together, each twin has their own unique personality! For example with our twins, Thomas loves going to cubs but Samuel hated it and left – he would rather be on his computer.
3. “Do they sleep at the same time?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. It’s true that many twins do sleep at the same time, but it is not always the case!
Some parents of twins find that their kids have different sleep schedules and prefer to nap at different times. This can be a bit challenging for parents, but with a little patience they will get used to it.
A twin parent may say that they try to keep their twins on the same schedule but sometimes one will wake up before or after the other needs a nap – this is just part of life with multiples!
4. “Who does the cooking and cleaning?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. It’s no secret that parenting is a lot of work, and parents of twins have to put in twice the effort!
Parents of twins will often say that they both cook and clean – it’s just something that needs to be done! Of course, there are times when one parent may need to take on more but it all comes out in the wash (and that is shared too!)
5. “Are they twins?” Er yes – that’s why we have two new born babies in a double pram! This question becomes more acceptable as they get older with different haircuts and clothes.
6. “Do they always have to be together?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. Parents will say that they try to give the twins their own space and let them decide what they want to do alone or together.
Of course, there might be times when one twin wants to spend time with his/her sibling while another doesn’t feel like it . Our twins love each other’s company and usually choose to be in the same room – even in cyberspace they meet on Roblox!
7. “How much do they cost
There are extra costs associated with having twins, but most parents find that it is worth it! Parents of twins may have to buy two of everything, but there are also many twin-specific products on the market In the UK there are no extra allowances for having twins – they are classed the same as any other siblings.
8. “Are they identical or fraternal?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. Parents will say that they can usually tell the difference between their twins, but sometimes it can be difficult! Our twins are fraternal and have different coloured eyes (Thomas has brown eyes like Mummy and Samuel has blue eyes like Daddy.) This question always raises a smile when the twins are a girl and a boy – certainly not identical!
9. “What’s the hardest thing about having twins?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. Parents will say that the hardest thing about having twins is probably the lack of sleep!
It can be difficult to get your twins on a sleeping schedule and it seems like they are always up at night! But with a lot of patience and some tried and tested methods, it is definitely possible!
During lockdown, we had to home school both twins but in a way, we were luckier than parents with children of different ages as they are in the same class and doing the same work.
10.”Are you going to have more kids?” Parents of twins are often asked this question. Parents will say that they have not yet decided, but they would definitely love to have more kids! That is not true in our case being older parents – it would almost certainly kill us!
As our twins are getting older, the questions are stopping and being replaced with another question: “Are they your grandchildren?” Arrrgh!!!
