When Raising Twins is Awesome

Twins bring with them a whole new set of parenting challenges. Sometimes the double diapering, endless sleepless nights, and tandem crying can seem hard to bear. But alongside the hardships are countless moments that fill your heart with joy. These are like small treasures found along a steep and rocky path. They make you want to keep on going, even though the journey may be hard.

Twins have a special connection between each other. Sharing a womb is only the beginning of the closeness that they have. It’s a uniquely special experience to actually see their relationship develop over time. Not much can compare to the joy you feel when your twins share a moment of bonding.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that raising twins is awesome when…

They make each other laugh.
Fairies are born from the deep, belly laughs of a baby, right? Hearing one baby giggle hysterically puts a smile on anyone’s face. But two babies laughing together? Cutest thing ever.   These aren’t my babies but their laughing brightens my day. 🙂

They play together.

The bonus of having more than one child is that they entertain each other, and twins come with a built-in buddy. Sometimes their little games provide entertainment for Mama as well.

One afternoon my twins spent who-knows-how-long sitting on the kitchen floor and taking turns wearing a bowl as a hat. After a split second of “why do I bother buying toys?”, I sat back in amusement and just enjoyed watching them be silly together. Of course, having a buddy often crosses the line to a ‘partner in crime’. When they play together it is almost always messy. 

They cuddle.

The angelic peacefulness of a sleeping child is multiplied when twins snuggle. Ours shared a crib, and when we put them in “big girl beds” it took a while for them to get comfortable sleeping alone. They still prefer to watch movies under the covers in Mommy’s bed.  

They have a conversation in their own little language.

I recorded a few times when our twins were talking in a language that I’m not even sure they understood. A few words made sense to me but for the most part I have no clue what they were saying. It’s mind-blowing that their little minds made a way to communicate to each other before they could put together regular words.

They match. 
Is it me or are twins exponentially cuter when they’re decked out in matching outfits? Whether they are same-gender or boy-girl twins, you get way more declarations of “Oh, look at the cute twins!” from people when you dress your twins to match.  

They can’t stand to be apart.

This is when you can really tell how strong their love is for one another. Like when one twin goes to Urgent Care for an ear infection and the other one is at home repeatedly asking for her sister. Or when one wakes up early and wants to go wake up her sister (except you never wake Madeline before she’s ready ;). They simply do not like to be separated.   

Sure, there will be times when they will make their parents, and each other, crazy. But in between the madness and the chaos will be moments that you will treasure forever. These two little creatures that you brought into this world will make you laugh, fill your heart with joy, and change your life in ways you never expected were possible. Raising twins is hard and tiring and incredibly gratifying all at the same time.

Parents of twins are truly twice blessed.