Raising my twins was never an easy task, but what joy they have given me. Not just as infants but through the years. Even now that they are grown and living on their own I love when we have our time together. I enjoy listening to them share as they fill me in on the latest events in their lives.
I remember some of the silliest things that they would do or say. Not just from the twins but from other people. It has been an ongoing experience.
My first experience from strangers was of course the normal question, "Are they twins?" Being polite I would always answer "yes", but I would always think… "Hello? They are absolutely identical! What do you think one is a clone?"
I didn't usually mind the questions of, "How old are they?" "Are they girls or boys?" and "What are their names?" But on one particular day, I was in a grocery store and exhausted. The twins were seven weeks old. As I was shopping, a lady came up to me, she must have been the tenth person to ask all the same questions. I was done being cordial. It amazed me that when twins are identical, dressed the same and have the same car seat that people would ask the obvious questions.
I lost it with this particular lady.
"Are they twins?" She asked.
"No, one is mine and I am babysitting my sister's son." I replied.
The lady looked totally confused and then left in a hurry.
With my twins I can remember several occasions where they would do or say some of the cutest things. As babies they would play together in their playpen while I was cleaning house or taking care of business. One day as I was cleaning they were in their playpen just entertaining each other. I had the music playing, singing along and keeping my eye on them. They were one year old and when I looked in on them they were both standing up and bouncing to the music with precious smiles on their faces. They didn't seem to require much attention from me because they had each other to entertain themselves. It was not like that as newborns when I was constantly changing diapers, feeding, bathing, carrying them both at the same time, and not to mention all the well baby visits.
I knew that they would love music just like mom. This realization hit me hard during a move. I had the car packed up with our final belongings and the twins in their car seats. We were going down Interstate 5, music playing and my mind was on reaching my destination so I could kick up my feet for a few minutes. As I was driving, I did my usual check the mirrors and road conditions around me. I didn't get past the review mirror. As I looked I was surprised to see that both boys were out of their seats, standing up and bouncing to the music. At first I wondered how they got out of those car seats. Then I was upset that they did. But, I couldn't stay upset, because they were only doing what they saw mommy do at home all of the time. Not to mention the fact that it was really cute. So I immediately pulled over and put them back into their car seats. This time I tightened up the buckles a bit.
When they started getting more active with birthdays and holidays, not to mention family visits and gifts, they were much more interested in the boxes. They would sit in them and make sounds as though they were driving. They knew before I did that they were going places.
Once they started actually playing with their toys and they would break, they would always say the cutest thing like, "Fik it mom" or "Fik it grandma."
I am proud to be the mother of my twins. I could go on forever regarding all of the experiences we had and lessons we learned together. However, the reason for this article is that I wouldn't give up the time that the Lord loaned them to me for anything. Also, the learning is an ongoing process and I am sure there will be many more joyful times with them in the years ahead. As a matter of fact, I must sign off now so I can watch my beautiful grandson while one of the twins goes out to make a living.
All glory goes to God that we have made it as far as we have.
