This article was written by our good friend Anthony Horvath.
There is one thing you need to be prepared for once you have twins: everybody and their mother will smile at you and say “Boy, you have your hands full.” A nice observation and one that might win in the world’s biggest understatement contest. You see, once you have twins you’ll quickly discover that it is not twice the work, but three times the work. This is because with one kid you can always hand the bundle of joy over to your spouse to take a break, but with twins, you’ve each got a kid to deal with ALL THE TIME.
When my wife and I learned that we had twins, we were shell shocked. We didn’t really have a clue what we were going to be getting into. Oh no. It doesn’t help that our twins are… shall we say… high maintenance. So much so, that when my wife and I watch those shows on the telly with sextuplets or what not we literally cry. I kid you not, we flipping cry. Oh yea, if you’re having twins… buy some Kleenex. And beer.
On the other hand, taking into account the counseling and the hair wringing, when one has twins there is always the knowledge that the pair will always have a friend to play with. They’re always going to have someone to confide in. It helps in our case that there is an older sibling that is only two years older. You can see that the three boys are going to be fast friends.
As for you and your wife, if you’re lucky to survive their ascent into adulthood… well, I guess I can’t speak to that. Perhaps I’ll be too worn out. They’ll all leave the house but I’ll be as lifeless as a piece of paper. That’s how I feel right now, typing out this essay.
On one point I think I will stand firm, though. Women seem to think that just because you’ve got twins, everything has to match. I think that this really has the potential to torpedo their own uniqueness. Plus, it’s plain silly some times. They don’t even like the same things some times. So, let me strongly suggest to you men out there that you man up, and when your wife wants to get all sentimental and wants to mirror the children off of each other, you bow to her demands immediately. Trust me. Your free time as a married couple will be limited as it is, if you get my meaning, and you want to choose your battles carefully. Who cares about their little egos! What are you thinking, dude?
So, you may as well get used to the fact that you’re about to have two of everything and you’re going to be tired out of your mind. You may wish to consider an “Everybody Loves Raymond” scenario. It saved my sanity.
*this article was featured on September 12, 2007
