Reading to Twins: Another Challenge?

Literacy begins at birth and there are many benefits to reading to your baby from day one. Like all good moms who want to “get it all right” and do the ultimate best for their babies, I learned about how reading promotes listening skills, develops attention span and memory, helps build vocabulary and stimulates the imagination and senses. And, of course, it promotes bonding and calmness for both the baby and the parent, which is what all parents aspire to. Parenting books usually tell you that you should start reading to your baby as part of their bedtime routine. At that time of the day when they’re fed and bathed, they are usually less energetic and winding down in preparation for sleep, so they’re more likely to be interested in listening to Mom’s or Dad’s voice.

Now, reading about all those benefits is one thing, and applying them in reality is a totally different story, especially for moms of twins. I have to admit that for the first nine months or so, by the time we got to that part of the day I was totally drained and had no energy in me to try to fit reading into our routine. What is usually meant to be a calm and relaxed time was for me the most challenging part of the day. It is when the girls started to get a bit cranky and I had to quickly bathe one while the other was crying, then prepare the bath once again for the second baby and bathe her while her sister loudly objected to being left alone after a relaxing bath. The picture of a serene ending to the evening with classical music playing in the background and mummy and baby calmly reading a bedtime story was a far cry from the chaotic reality we had to face almost every evening. The only way to restore calm was to quickly give the girls their bottles and put them to bed.

At around the age of nine months, as things got a bit easier and they were both crawling, I would let whoever was not taking her bath roam around in the bathroom and in their bedroom, so it became a bit less stressful for everyone. I decided then that it was about time that we start reading a bit before going to bed, as I was feeling guilty and feared that my babies would grow up to be unimaginative children with limited vocabulary and poor listening skills. The new challenge was to get two babies who had recently discovered their mobility to actually settle down and listen. There was no way I could hold them both and hold the book, so I had to have one of them in my lap and the other one sitting beside me, then on the next day we would alternate. Naturally, the one who was not in my lap would start moving after two minutes, and then her sister would struggle to free herself and go play as well. So instead of having two relaxed babies who were ready for bed, I had my Giggles and Cuddles crawling around, chasing each other, and screaming and giggling, which was fun but did not help in winding down and getting ready for bed. After a few days I just gave up.

I still feel guilty about not reading to my twins every day and even more so now, as they are fourteen months already. I am trying to find tips and resources on reading to twins so if any twin moms out there want to share their experiences, I would love to hear from you. There are little details that one might not necessarily think about but that can be challenging for twin moms, so exchanging ideas and sharing experiences does help a great deal. I guess guilt will always be a companion to moms of twins: not having enough time or energy, not giving each one the attention they need, and not hugging each one enough are a few examples among so many other things. But maybe this consciousness drives us to find different ways to love and nurture our little ones, and to help them to each develop in her own special way.

By Didi in Zurich

Didi is an Egyptian mother of twin girls living in Zurich. Before having the twins she worked in the field of Economic Development. She is currently a stay-at-home mom focused on the growth and development of her daughters.

Illustration by Laura Munteanu