The sun has got his hat on, and the whole family will be coming out to play
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR A FIRST-TIME DAD OF TWINS
ONE of the problems with babies is they don’t talk.
We’re lost in a limbo of facial analysis and guesswork when attempting to figure out what fires them up.
Obviously, they give out very noisy and expressive clues but mostly for the basic necessities.
And they like to reserve some amusing facial expressions for times of surprise.
Thomas’ look of confusion whenever he’s placed in a bath never disappoints me. Or Emma’s look of panic when she triggers the nursery rhyme on her farmyard animals mobile.
In a bid to broaden minds, boost brainpower and get them chatting, we took them to baby sensory class.
The venue for this adventure to expand their horizons was a church hall. The last time I was in a church hall, I was wearing shorts, a badge for making a fire, a cap and a woggle, so my life had changed to some degree. I wasn’t wearing a woggle.
There were 20 babies, 19 mothers and one father. We kicked off with some singing and Thomas kicked off by going for a number two in his nappy.
I’ve realised he’s like a pigeon. Anywhere new and exciting and he likes to mark his territory with a calling card.
Hoping it would go unnoticed until the singing stopped, I ignored the obvious smell.
I could see other parents checking their children, shaking their heads and hoped Thomas wouldn’t come under suspicion. Unfortunately, we were in a circle and the net was closing with each sniff.
I eventually broke and changed him mid-song about a friendly sun.
Although in time they’ll realise the sun is far from friendly, especially if you spend an afternoon by the pool in Lanzarote with no cream on.
This moment away from the crowd gave me space to assess other children, in what is fast becoming a worryingly over-competitive parenting style.
Are mine more animated, prettier, stronger, funnier or intelligent than the others? Naturally, yes they are, until life proves otherwise.
Anyway, it was back to the throng for more singing, clapping, playing with feathers, ducks and a plastic horse. It wasn’t long before the sun was waving us goodbye and the twins were on their way home. There was a definite change in mood but nothing to do with the babies.
They’d smiled and laughed but the biggest change was Victoria.
As was becoming evident, the most important thing about childcare is the adult, and just getting out the house for a bit had made the sun come out for Victoria.