Having twins means life has become one long BOGOF deal
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR A FIRST TIME DAD OF TWINS
“Twins? I struggle with one,” is a common response when I mention my family – although the situation is evolving and I’m not sure the twins are double the struggle anymore.
Even if logic tells us one baby is a 100% increase in tears, time and trauma, I’d estimate the second child is more a 50%, maybe with an additional 10% for when they’re bickering.
The primary challenges are mostly logistical, such as deciding which one to catch if they both sprint off down a road – the answer is Thomas because
Emma would stop and look for cars, but he’s more of a chancer.
In my mind, children a few years apart present more of a challenge as they’re at different life stages with varying requirements and abilities.
For a start, the twins eat the same things at the same time and if Emma decrees broccoli to be palatable then Thomas is more than happy to go with the wisdom of the self-appointed leader.
This did work the other way when she decided neither liked houmous, much to Thomas’ dismay because he really enjoyed it, but felt he had to toe the party line and refused to eat it. This type of teamwork is one more reason the pressure is easing. They’re a fully-fledged double act with their own language, insults and games and don’t rely on us as heavily apart from showing off dens, Lego constructions and, on one occasion, the kitchen wall
they’d decorated with crayons.
My role has been downgraded to referee to ensure fair play, step in if there’s any biting or arbitrate over who owns the Paw Patrol bus.
And with days out, it’s not like we wouldn’t make the effort to go to interesting places, playgrounds or meals out with one child. We’re certainly not going that extra mile for two and it’s not even much more money. Because they’re little, it’s mostly free to get in.
Which brings me onto costs and I’m not sure twins are twice the price. For a start, they share a lot of things like plates, cups, and socks but we draw the line at clothes, as Emma likes fruit or Paw Patrol on hers, whereas Thomas likes a bus or dinosaurs.
And I think we benefit from the generosity of relatives more than if we had two children at different ages, purely based on sympathy. This along with our ability to bulk buy food, make use of bigger packs and deals means twins are a sensible financial option.
Life does seem to be changing and it turns out the twins are turning into our own real life Buy One Get One Free deal rather than Double Trouble.