Momma's Two Cents: Stranger Comments

When I found out that I was expecting twins, I tried to prepare myself for every situation.  I learned from veteran moms of multiples that going on outings with the babies could turn into a bit of a sideshow.  After seeing things like this cartoon, I was prepared for the comments.  I even had snappy comebacks prepared for the more obnoxious ones. And I have since learned that I needn’t have worried; most of the attention we get when we go out in public is positive.  I love that people are interested in my sweet babies, and unless I am in a hurry I don’t mind chatting about them.  What I wasn’t anticipating was the abject pity that my mere presence could garner from perfect strangers. The blatantly horrified looks that I am given in the grocery store, as if I am pushing a cart full of angry rattlesnakes rather than my cherubic, sleeping infants.  “You poor thing!” they say.  “Better you than me!”  “I feel so sorry for you!”  Or my favorite, “That sucks!”  


Don’t get me wrong, life with my babies isn’t always easy.  Yes, my house resembles Babies "R" Us after looters have ransacked it during a power outage. My bedroom/nursery smells like an airport toilet on occasion, because let’s face it, a certain plastic diaper receptacle does not always keep the “genie” in the bottle.  I am hard pressed to find a garment that is not partially or fully coated by my daughter’s stomach contents on any given day.  There are times I am so sleep deprived that I cannot remember the phone number I have had for almost ten years, and I refer to my husband as “You!” because I cannot recall his name.  Most heartbreaking of all, I have two little people who sometimes cry for me at the same time, and I have to decide who’s needs are more dire, and make the other one wait for my attention, wailing all the while. 


However, even though two babies at the same time may not be the ideal situation, I would not trade them for the world. I may get double the screaming and double the poop, but I also get double the giggles and double the love. They give me more joy than I could ever have imagined.  We fought hard to bring them into this world, and they fought even harder to stay here, and we will not take that for granted.   So please, next time you see twins, offer your congratulations rather than your condolences!