Practical Aspects of Pediatric Management of Families with Twins
Sheila J. Siegel MSW, ACSW1
Michael M. Siegel MD, FAAP2
1 Private practice, Pasadena, California; PhD candidate, Wright Institute, Los Angeles
2 Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Southern California School of Medicine; private practice, Los Angeles
Tommy, a rather large 4 year old, invited his younger twin friends over to play. He expected to be the leader as he knew he was older and was certainly lots bigger. Although the twins included him, they joined together so as to dominate the interactions. By the end of the afternoon, looking totally overwhelmed and somewhat bemused, Tommy turned to his mother and said, "Next time only invite one of them, or get another Tommy." Parents, friends, teachers, doctors, any of us who spend time with twins find them fascinating, puzzling, and occasionally a little overwhelming. Twins and parents of twins bear the brunt of this curiosity in the barrage of questions that often assail them: "What is it like to have twins?" "Is it twice as hard to raise two as it is to raise one?" "What is it like to be a twin?" Perhaps the not uncommon wish to have been a twin or to have twins is behind this phenomenon, or perhaps it is the rarity with which twins occur that explains this curiosity. Such attention, however, aggravates major problems most common to twins.
Parents often seek pediatricians' advice about raising their children. In this article we will address childrearing issues but from the perspective of parents of twins.
