It's Twins!: Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence [Paperback]

This review may be biased since one of my stories is in this book. On the other hand, prior to becoming a mom, I was a counselor and have read many counseling/self-help books. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I read every twin-specific parenting manual I could find (three books at the time). None of the books were as helpful and as interesting as this book.
"It's Twins" by Susan M. Heim is conveniently broken down into four different developmental sections (Ages 0-1; Ages 2-4; Ages 5-11; Ages 12-17). This makes it easy for the reader to quickly refer to the appropriate age level. Each section is then further broken down into Twin Tales, Twin Tips, Intriguing Twins, Twin Trivia and Points to Ponder. The Twin Tales are real-life stories written by parents of multiples (one of which is mine). These tales make the book more personal than other twin parenting books available. I only wish I had had the Twin Tips regarding air travel (which is three pages long) before I traveled with my twin toddlers since there were so many helpful suggestions that I could not find anywhere else (and believe me, I looked).
I have found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding and parenting my twins (and I am not just saying that because my story was in it). I only wish it had been written before they were born!

This book offers essential information for parents of twins and multiples. It is an amazing collection from parents who have experienced birth through college with twins. The detail is great and the writing styles fresh and natural. Check out Joanne Higgins Ensign's realistic view on breast feeding twins in the article "Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Breastfeeding Twins." The collection of articles reads like a round table discussion at a coffee shop. Informative, quick and straight to the point. Some articles like Cheryl Oberbeck Burn's "Twins Tale, Spring Parrots," offer surprising depth and vulnerability. In few words she conveys the challenge of making the preschool decision, doing the right thing, and being your own person.

Each article is followed by questions to assist the reader making their own choices.

This book offers a large amount of information in small bite size portions. A book to keep and reference again and again.

It's been 17 years since my twin sons were born, and reading It's Twins! brought back many memories of those early years when I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through another day. Now I can laugh when I read other women's stories about trying to breastfeed twins, or answering those weird questions ("But they don't look alike at all--are you sure they're twins?"), or trying to go grocery shopping with two babies. I could go on and on, but I don't have to--this book says it all.

The author's experience as an editor for the series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, is reflected here, since the book contains stories by different people at different stages in their parenting journey. I could have written some of the stories in this book, which showed me that my experiences were not unusual, even if I thought they were at the time. I would have welcomed this book when my boys were young, just to show me others went through the same things that I did.

There is also plenty of general child-rearing advice, making it an all-purpose parenting book--very useful when you don't have much time to spend reading. Throughout the book are "Points to Ponder," questions related to the topics just covered, with space to write a few lines. For those of us who are already journaling, these questions are wonderful prompts to help us write about our experiences as a mother of twins.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice in the book comes in the toddler and preschooler section, where Heim says, "Respect each child's individual differences. Emphasize each child's strengths. And don't allow one twin to dominate the relationship to the detriment of the non-dominant twin." This is something I have always tried to do with my boys, and now that they are 17 and soon to graduate high school, I feel confident that each is an individual prepared to start his independent life.

This book was very enjoyable and a quick read. I think parents of twins (or more) will find it inspiring, fun, and informative. So take some of that precious free time when both babies are actually asleep, and you aren't, to read this book.

by Danelle Sasser
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women