I have often remarked that parenting multiples involves expansive scheduling along with enlightened thinking. The following article describes how a mom of triplets came to recognize and appreciate what her daughters needed and how she made sacrifices to accommodate each of them. It originally appeared in Multiples of America’s Notebook magazine (Fall 2015) and is reprinted here with permission. WHAT I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN By Sherry Santa, Higher Order Multiples Coordinator, Multiples of America Six years ago if […]
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Does Parenting Shift with Zygosity?
Dr. Nancy Segal published an interesting article in the latest edition of Twin Research and Human Genetics titled “Zygosity Diagnosis: When Physicians and DNA Disagree.” A portion of the article is devoted to a mother’s reaction upon discovering via DNA testing that her two-year-old daughters are monozygotic, not dizygotic, as she had previously believed. I am reprinting a paragraph from the article that quotes this mother’s response to this new information. I find what she says perplexing and incomprehensible. Instantly, […]
Don’t Date My Sister
A mom of eighteen-year-old twins asked me to help her understand why her son adamantly denied his sister permission to date his friends. Both attend separate schools and thus have different social groups. While I did not know all of the particular details, I shared some ideas about why her son might be feeling this way. Since most adolescents are very wary of parental scrutiny and intrusiveness, perhaps this young man did not feel comfortable allowing his sister into his […]
IVF and Empty Nest
In my workshop about adult twins at the Multiple Births Canada Conference in Edmonton, one mother shared her grief about her twins going off to college. She recounted that her twins were conceived on her last and final IVF attempt, and they have truly been a gift. Other moms in the group had diametrically opposing outlooks. They were looking forward to a lifestyle liberated from child-rearing concerns and responsibilities. Having personally experienced separations from my children as well as counseling […]
Powering Down the Power of Two
Raising two or more children at a time is a tough gig, especially if they are your first children. Parenting is an acquired skill—the more you do it, the more confident you feel making decisions and choices. Learning how to manage multiples’ needs and behaviors can be a trying situation, especially if you are uncomfortable or unaccustomed to setting limits and being consistent. Recently, I spoke to a mom of three-year-old twins who was on the verge of emotional collapse. […]