I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with a psychologist who specializes in teaching parents and children essential social skills. She mentioned that she has a number of twins who attend her groups, and I was intrigued to hear about how she helps identical twins learn to socialize with their peers. From the outside looking in, many people watch twins play effortlessly with one another and wish that their children were able to get along so well. While a twin […]
Tag Archives: individuality
“I Saw Her from the Outside”
The struggle to feel like a separate person after years of being a twin involves hard work, motivation, and insight. A young woman in her midtwenties has been working diligently in therapy to feel distinct and differentiated. The other day in our session, she was describing an epiphany she had while she was helping her sister move into a new office. Understandably, her sister was stressed and overwhelmed in view of her situation; characteristically, she snapped at my patient and […]
Prepare to be Dazzled
“Prepare to be dazzled. . . . Multiples Illuminated will guide you through multiple madness with mindfulness, humor, and joy. Stories about real-life parenting experiences combined with sage expert advice will help you recalibrate the emotional equilibrium between the yin and yang of raising multiples—heroics and heartache, antics and agony, bliss and burdens.” This is a blurb that I wrote for a wonderful new book titled Multiples Illuminated by Megan Woolsey and Alison Lee. It is a collection of personal […]
Emotionally Healthy Twins
EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY TWINS A few weeks I gave a talk at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Lourdes Ramos, the museum’s executive director, and her dedicated staff arranged my visit. A reporter from the newspaper El Nuevo Día by the name of Aurora Rivera attended my presentation and wrote a comprehensive article about my remarks. She also included the questions posed by the parents in the audience. The following link is to the published […]
Double Your Knowledge, Double Your Fun
I spoke to a wonderful gathering of moms and dads at the Paradise Valley Mothers of Multiples Club in Phoenix, Arizona. After I concluded my talk and answered questions, many of the participants approached me to thank me for the eye-opening and thought-provoking presentation. The importance of alone time seemed to make a definite impression. The onslaught of hype about twin togetherness confuses the most conscientious parent into believing that twins do not want to be separated from their siblings. […]