Wow – one of the major advantages of twins occurs twice a year in our house. Birthdays!! Even the simplest of birthday parties can still prove to be stressful. As a mom of four, I should be doing 4 of these a year – but instead I only have to do 2. And how about the cost? Hooray! We save on birthdays! And the great thing is, I don’t mind the party being a bit more expensive – after all it’s for 2 kids! Plus, Kaitlyn & Mackenzie have a summer birthday. Most years we have had a lot of kids decline. So many are on vacation. Now that they are in separate classes we had a lot more to invite and still had what I would consider an average turnout. Had there only been one class to invite, it would have been a really small party.
But there are challenges as well (but as a parent the advantages outweigh the disadvantages). From the child’s eye, one wants a princess party, one doesn’t. Mackenzie will probably never get to have her princess dress-up birthday party. So I told her maybe we could do a playdate at our house with the girls. She seemed okay with that. But each year, they each pick different invitations and we just decorate with both themes. A little weird but that’s the best way to make them happy. And a few years ago I discovered some other twin moms that got two cakes and sang happy birthday to each of them separately. I think that is a great idea! Should they really be forced to share every special moment? And picking presents, do they get two of the same thing or share? The answer: it depends on what it is. As a mom it’s pretty easy to judge (usually) but when others give it can be hard for them to guess. And what if one guest knows only one twin? Do they bring 2 gifts – kind of not fair…but the kids are too young to understand.
And what about when we go to parties? That has been an interesting one this year. Often one was invited and the other was not. My girls are an all or nothing package. At first I felt funny having to ask but now I see that the majority of moms didn’t even think about it or were clueless that this might be a problem. The first time I offered to pay and it was so awkward because then she wasn’t included in the party. So does that mean she has to sit there while the other kids have food and I have to buy her separate food? She is the same age as the other kids and plays with them at recess. How weird! So now I just ask if she can come too and of course nobody says no. And if they did then we would have to decline. That’s just how it is. I’ll post pictures soon of Kaitlyn and Mackenzie’s birthday party. They had a great time!
But there are challenges as well (but as a parent the advantages outweigh the disadvantages). From the child’s eye, one wants a princess party, one doesn’t. Mackenzie will probably never get to have her princess dress-up birthday party. So I told her maybe we could do a playdate at our house with the girls. She seemed okay with that. But each year, they each pick different invitations and we just decorate with both themes. A little weird but that’s the best way to make them happy. And a few years ago I discovered some other twin moms that got two cakes and sang happy birthday to each of them separately. I think that is a great idea! Should they really be forced to share every special moment? And picking presents, do they get two of the same thing or share? The answer: it depends on what it is. As a mom it’s pretty easy to judge (usually) but when others give it can be hard for them to guess. And what if one guest knows only one twin? Do they bring 2 gifts – kind of not fair…but the kids are too young to understand.
And what about when we go to parties? That has been an interesting one this year. Often one was invited and the other was not. My girls are an all or nothing package. At first I felt funny having to ask but now I see that the majority of moms didn’t even think about it or were clueless that this might be a problem. The first time I offered to pay and it was so awkward because then she wasn’t included in the party. So does that mean she has to sit there while the other kids have food and I have to buy her separate food? She is the same age as the other kids and plays with them at recess. How weird! So now I just ask if she can come too and of course nobody says no. And if they did then we would have to decline. That’s just how it is. I’ll post pictures soon of Kaitlyn and Mackenzie’s birthday party. They had a great time!
Love that you started a blog! They are great, cause you can do it whenever you want. Sounds like life is full! The girls are all adorable. They are all getting so big.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so cute. I love that picture of you and the girls. You look great, they look cute, and you look like you've got it together. Those are always the best kind of pictures, because who really wants a picture where you look like a mess, the kids are crying and everybody's grumpy!
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