Every year when I read about the Twinsburg Twins Days Festival or see photographs of grown-up twins who are dressed identically and unabashedly clowning around with their clone, I feel a visceral trigger of old feelings about growing up as a twin freak. Jane and I were always the source of endless curiosity, and I hated (and still hate) being the center of attention without a feeling of substance or worth. Unfortunately, I have never really experienced the joys of […]
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Sleep Expectations and Sleep Training Techniques
I’m sometimes consulted when both parents are exhausted and irritable. Consulting The No-Cry Sleep Solution, by Elizabeth Pantley, and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth offers some good suggestions. Both authors write extensively about the biological importance of sleep. Pantley explains that a baby’s biological clock begins maturing at 6-9 weeks and does not work smoothly until 4-5 months. Dr. Weissbluth asserts that when infants are 12-16 weeks, daytime sleep starts to regularize and bedtime is earlier. […]
Twin Takes
Welcome. Many of you know that the subject of being a twin is a very large part of my life. First, I am a twin; second, I am the mother of twins; third, I specialize in twin issues in my psychotherapy practice; and fourth, I am the author of two books on the subject: Emotionally Healthy Twins and The Same But Different. And there is so much to talk about. According to a January 2012 report by the National Center […]
Beware Twin Denial
On the last day of the New Zealand Multiple Birth Association conference, I chaired a panel of adult twins who volunteered their time to answer questions posed by moms of younger twins. Many of the questions presented to the panel addressed issues about twins being compared, their individuality, and the importance of knowing who is older. It was interesting that the twins who introduced themselves all remarked if they were the older one! The panel members seemed to agree that […]
Parenting Resolutions for 2014
Celebrating the New Year can inspire us to pause and contemplate personal issues in a self-reflective manner. We make promises to ourselves about changes we long to make, goals we want to pursue, and dreams we hope will come true. Here is my personal list of parenting resolutions for 2014 that I feel reflect pressing concerns in our society: Minimize Screen Time Conventional children’s toys have been replaced by the singular favorite toy of all ages–the cell phone. I […]