Last updated on April 26th, 2024 at 10:37 pm
Are you always tired? You might just be a mom of twins! One mom outlines everyday moments in her life as a twin mom that explains why she’s always tired.
Any parent who says they are tired has a great reason! I’m a mom of twins and it’s a safe assumption that I’m always tired. That’s just my norm now, and part of twin parenthood is learning to function in this permanent state of tiredness.
It’s a good thing that my twinadoes are so darn cute and funny, in-between moments of making me want to pull my hair out!
As time has passed, the type of exhaustion has changed, as they’ve grown from infants, to toddlers, to preschoolers. Although our twins are almost three now, here’s a list of reasons why I’ve been tired for the past 3 years.
If you have twins, you can relate to most of these too, I’m sure. If you don’t, this is a great peek into why twin parents are always tired!
I Didn’t Try to Get the Twins on a Schedule
In the first few months, their feedings were every 2-3 hours, back-to-back, because we didn’t try to sync them up. I was feeding someone or changing someone for 2 hours straight and only had a tiny break before the first twin wanted to eat again. Once I got them eating and sleeping at the same time, I finally got some real breaks. always tired
I Forgot to Eat Lunch
Come to think of it, I had coffee and….shoot, that was it! That’s all I had today. It’s now 3 o’clock… always tired
We Tried to Leave the House Today
Two kiddos dressed, myself dressed, shoes/coats/hats x3, all of us into the car, and when we got to the store I realized I left my shopping list at home. So then I had to use what’s left of my mommy-brain memory to guess what we needed from the grocery store. We went up and down each aisle twice!always tired
I Stayed Up Late
Because it was so nice to be able to just sit and enjoy some much needed “me time”, even though I was exhausted from chasing them around all day. We put the kids to bed, and I grabbed my book…and suddenly it was 11pm. And, let’s be honest, I was tired by the time the kids were in bed at 8:30 and should have just put myself to bed after that. always tired
My Twins Made a Masterpiece of Poo
One twin decided to remove their poopy diaper during nap and both created a “masterpiece of poo” on their beds and walls. So between naptime and bedtime (4:30-7pm), I stripped the bed and collected anything that could be contaminated, I gave two baths, did 4 loads of laundry, made the bed, AND made dinner…and kept the twins out of further trouble… I’m tired just remembering that day!
I Tried to Cut back on the Twins’ Screen Time
Because someone else (who doesn’t have twins) told me I should. Some days you just need to veg in front of the TV for a bit. A Doc McStuffins break can really improve your day! always tired
It Happened to Be “Opposite Day”
Whatever Mommy or Daddy needed them to do, they did the opposite. While trying to get out the door, instead of getting dressed they stripped down to their birthday suits and ran around the house sword fighting with their tooth brushes. (WHY?!) always tired
I Had to Go back Inside After Getting Everyone in the Car
Because I realized that I didn’t have my contacts in, hadn’t brushed my teeth, and wasn’t wearing a bra…oops. always tired
I Tried to Get Anything Done While the Kids Were Awake
And spent the entire morning retrieving items that they shouldn’t have, and cleaning up the messes they made, because I took my eyes off them for 30 seconds (p.s. I still don’t shower when they are awake unless Dad is home to keep an eye on them!) always tired
I Tried to Potty Train Twins Who Weren’t Interested
And had developed a sudden fear of the toilet…which lead to chasing naked toddlers around the house, praying that they peed on the tile floor and not on the carpet. always tired
I Let Them Walk into the Library Without the Stroller
BIG mistake! 15 laps around the children’s section while trying to corral two toddlers and clean up the mess they’ve made. Then, when walking towards the car, “Stay close to Mommy, please!” sounded a lot like, “Run towards traffic, but in opposite directions!” to my toddlers. Yep, I think we need the stroller or harnesses for every trip.
We Went to Visit Someone’s House Who Doesn’t Have Little Kids
I spent the entire visit chasing them around, trying to keep them from breaking anything or injuring themselves, while attempting to have a conversation with adults. always tired
I Took the Kids to the Park, by Myself
Somehow they both seemed to find the high, dangerous part of the play structure; you know, the part that even big kids tend to get hurt from when they fall off? And they did it at the same time at OPPOSITE ends of the structure…making you choose who to go after first. I shouldn’t need to make Sophie’s Choice-level decisions daily.
My Kids Have Radar for When I’m Trying to Do Anything That Doesn’t Directly Relate to What They Are Doing
So to get anything done while they are awake I have to go into stealth mode. Being that quiet and sneaky and hiding from two little dictators is A LOT of work! SHHH… don’t tell them but I’m working on this article while they are playing in the next room, happily, but if they find out they’ll put a stop to that! OH NO! They’ve found me! HELP! Gotta run!
Stephanie Cleland is a high school teacher who traded in her teen students for adorable twin toddlers and now spends her days entertaining her almost 3 year “twinadoes”. She married her college sweet heart, Kirk, and her hobbies include scrapbooking and other creative projects. She also is working on a blog ilovemytwinadoes.weebly.com.
