Parenting Twins: A Dad's Perspective

Loving Daddyhood

Adults Say the Darndest Things

Yes, people will do a double take when they realize that the stroller you are pushing through the mall contains twins. You will also be shocked at the number of women who will grant instant sainthood upon a man when he rolls solo with his kids -- as if we are somehow incapable or unwilling to go out with our babies! But it's amazing to note the number of encouraging smiles you'll receive from fellow fathers. Or, as one man put it as I wheeled the twins into our maiden journey to Lowe's, "Man ... that ... is ... cool!"

The Right Time for Kids?

Someone once told me that if you wait for the right time to have kids, you never will because you'll never have enough time or enough money or a big enough house or a big enough car. And that person was right! Because on paper it never adds up and yet in most instances it does work out, because the moment your children are born, your entire universe shifts and puts your babies in the center.

Suddenly, recreational shopping is no longer more captivating, fine dining doesn't taste as good, two hours are better spent on the floor with your babies than at the movies, and all those things that you thought you had to have and had to do seem a little less important. And I think it's because of this that the lights in your home stay on, and the tank in your car has gas, and the table in your kitchen has food placed upon it.

Same Game, More Players

On a recent a business trip I sat around a hotel bar with two other fathers of two and one single guy. By the time we were done comparing notes and laughing hysterically about the romantic habits of parents, we found ourselves apologizing to the bachelor and attempting to explain the unexplainable: That everything is same but completely different and that you can't imagine a life without your kids.

Once with Two and We're Through

I'm a big believer in the "Two and Through!" philosophy. Sure it's double diapers and double the laundry, but unlike parents who do it one at a time, chances are we'll only be taking one trip through the land of 3 a.m. feedings, reflux, teething, and potty training. So I say laugh and enjoy the spit-ups and the blowouts because while the singleton parents may be more "relaxed" the second time around, you'll be done.

Scott Lage lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Cheryl and their twins, Darren and Sarah.

Originally published on AmericanBaby.com, May 2006.

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.