One of my friends asked me to post about some of the things I thought I would/wouldn't do as a parent and how I would interact with my kids.
- To all of you who do not have kids yet, here's a nice little assignment for you. Tonight, or sometime in the near future, write down your predictions about what traditions you will pass down to your kids, what parenting tips you will use, something you would NEVER let your kids do, etc. -
I really wish I would've written all of my thoughts down because I know I had quite the list!
One thing I {swore} I would never do is buy my kids clothes with characters from tv, movies, toys, etc. I thought it was totally tacky. Well, I caved.
My girlies own Barbie®, Tinkerbell, Disney's® Princesses & Elmo shirts. You'll cave too, trust me. Little kids are so cute and proud to show off their favorite characters! Plus they do actually make some cute clothing!
Also, once I found out that I was having twin girls, I told everyone I was not planning on dressing them the same. "Maybe, every once in awhile", I'd tell people, but that didn't happen either, for 2 reasons.
1) Even as early as 18 months, color was a BIG deal. If I didn't have two pink or purple shirts, there would be tears. So, it's just easier to have two of the same, of EVERYTHING. You name it, we have two of the exact same dolls, cribs, hair bows, shoes, coats, car seats, etc. It's just ten times easier to give them the same thing and avoid a fight.
2) It's cute when they're dressed the same.
For the longest time after the twins were born, I played everything by ear. When I felt they were hungry, I'd feed them. When I thought they were tired, I'd let them fall asleep. When they preferred to play, I let them play. I never remember having a strict schedule when I was young, and of course, I want[ed] to be a "cool mom" who allows her kids to do whatever they want. (ha, yeah right.)
*If you take anything away from this blog post, let it be this: Get your baby on a schedule AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!*
If you fail to do this, you will be one {super} sleep-deprived being. You will also lose control as a parent, very early on. Here is a great post on how to put your baby on a schedule. Don't wait to start. It really does help baby (& parents) to be happier and a schedule allows you to plan errands around the baby's sleeping/eating times. After I got my girls on a schedule, I realized how worth it it was. I knew exactly when they would go to sleep and in turn, how much sleep I would get. And as a parent, getting enough sleep is critical to be a pleasant, functioning, role model to your children. I also learned to sleep when the babies slept. It saved me from becoming a zombie! And who wouldn't want to pass up snuggle-time with a little one? Those are all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more later!
I appreciate all of your comments and PLEASE tell your mommy friends about this blog! I still would love to hear from you and your questions about having twins, parenting tips, personal stories/input etc.
Thanks again!
xoxo
