This piece is based on a prompt. Thought it might be fun to share it here. Here goes…
Craig: “Linda, one of our babies is missing.”
Linda: “Which one?”
Craig: “The one on the left.”
Linda: “The left of what?”
Craig: “The left of the one that’s left.”
Linda: “Huh? Which one is that?”
Awkward silence ensues.
Linda: “I can’t believe this. Is it Ada?”
Craig: “I’m not sure.”
Linda: “How can you not be?”
Craig: “Is that really important right now?”
Linda: “What does her bracelet say?”
Craig: “It’s Ava.”
Linda: “So, Ava’s here?”
Craig: “No, she’s the one missing.”
Welcome to the tangled web – the life of parents of twin babies. Think of it like quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Sure, the little ones are bundles of joy. Well, most of the time. But, remember the days when you’ve put them both to bed. And just when you’re about to drift off to sleep, you hear a familiar cry – the sound of countless sleepless nights. Before you’ve had the chance to pacify the first one, the other starts wailing. You only have so many hands, and one of them is aching to tear your hair out. But I digress.
Identical or not, you’ll be surprised at how similar twins can look when they’re a few months old. Especially if they are both boys or girls. Talk about seeing double! This means keeping track of who is who. God forbid if Ada ends up as Ava or the other way around. If you can’t keep your story straight, how can you expect them to? You wouldn’t want them to have an identity crisis now, would you?
This means following a process to ensure that they don’t get mixed up. One way to achieve this could be color-coding. And you thought that was only for people who studied Electrical Engineering! Surprise, surprise! The things we do for our children! So, each baby gets a designated color. They have no say in the matter, of course. This means you’ll be buying identical pairs of clothes with precisely those colors, at least till you can tell the two apart. Which is, hopefully, soon. Don’t worry, they’ll be fighting over clothes in no time. Happy shopping!
Sounds cumbersome? Try painting their nails or using jewelry instead. Good luck hoping they don’t tug it off or chew on it. You know they love to.
Let’s address the second matter now. Or did you forget? What about the curious case of the missing Ada? Or was it Ava? What’s worse than not being able to distinguish between your own twin babies? Losing one. Before you get your claws out and start getting all judgmental about Craig and Linda being irresponsible parents, remember the last time you misplaced your keys. How can babies be compared to keys, you ask? They can’t. Keys don’t have legs. You’d be surprised at how quick your little ones can be when they start to crawl. Look away for a second. And, poof, they’re gone. Even skilled magicians couldn’t pull off this trick!
If you think caring for one baby is a nightmare, try two. Put yourself in the parents’ shoes. A little empathy wouldn’t go amiss.
Ring a Ring o' Proses 