With the new school term we started asking the twins to get themselves dressed in the mornings. They are highly capable to do this and can get it done in 2 minutes when they want to. However… it’s never that simple, is it?

Last month our twins turned 4 so we are now proud (& tired) owners of the 4 year-old-twins badge.

When you're a new mum many people around you may offer advice. Some are welcome, some others... not so much. I believe everyone meant well when they said these but there were a few that used to put quite a lot of pressure on me, and I'm sure some other mums and dads feel the same. These were the popular "Enjoy every minute", "You'll miss it when it’s gone" and "They’re only this little for a short time".The only effect that these comments had was to make me overthink if I was in fact making sure to soak up every second of every day while they were still so little. Not only that, but it added to the guilt of not enjoying every single minute, because not every bit of parenthood is enjoyable. No parent likes the sleepless nights, seeing your tiny baby feeling poorly, stressing about feeding issues or trying to calm an unsettled baby who won't stop crying, among many other minutes of not-so-enjoyable things. And that's OK. 

I’ve never been a spontaneous person, organisation and planning have always been part of my skillset. When I had the twins, these skills became a form of survival. They have never attended full time childcare and both of us have our own businesses, so our lives are ruled by calendars and schedules. From the very basics like feeding and napping, to outings and trips, almost everything that has happened the last 4 years has been meticulously planned.

One of the things I love most about my twins is how different they are. They really are complete opposites and individuals within their twin bond, which is great, we want them to feel like they are unique and know that they’re not just ”the twins”. However, I do feel those differences often play against us, in various areas of our lives.

On the list of things I worried about but shouldn’t have is their speech development.

The level of multitasking you have to achieve when you become a parent is out of this world.

As a parent, you put your kids' happiness above all things. You do this because you love them and want them to be happy, of course, but also at some point during the early years, you mainly do it because them being happy makes your life so much easier.

When I found out we were going to have twins I wanted to learn about different aspects of it, but their social development being different from other children never actually crossed my mind back then.

Here’s part 2 of things you and your partner can do to prepare, not for a baby, but for a toddler. Remember to take turns so you can both experience what it’s like.

Last week we visited my brother in Berlin. I flew over with the two of them by myself and we stayed in a hotel for 4 days.

I really never thought about what it’d be like when my twins would start to team up against me. It didn’t occur to me this would ever happen, at least not this early.