Tales From A Twin Mom: Double Trouble? 4 Tips For Taming Twin Tantrums

Tales From A Twin Mom:
Double Trouble?
4 Tips For Taming Twin Tantrums

I am the mother of twin four year old girls. Yes, two beautiful girls that can go from happy to ear piercing loud in fifteen seconds. A hug is no longer considered a loving gesture in my home. Why, you ask? Well, when the hug has a 98% chance of turning into a wrestling match, you would feel the same way. I am not perfect and I certainly do not have it all together, but I have found that certain things do work in order to keep your crew under control. I am sharing my tips with you in hopes that at least one of them works in your favor. We are in this together!

PLAY THE
FIND IT GAME

I start my shopping trip just like a normal mom. I have my list, my children and I’m eager to tackle everything as fast as I can. Unfortunately, it is never fast enough for my girls. That’s when I start the Find It Game. I will look around and ask them to find something blue for me. I know what you’re thinking. You’re just standing in one spot waiting for them to guess? How do you ever get the shopping done? No. I didn’t say it was an honest game. I simply said it was a game. After five to six attempts one child wins and I go on to another object, which the other twin conveniently finds. Amazingly enough, the score is always tied.

DISCOVER THE MAGIC
OF SNACK TIME

I always pack up snacks and stash them in my purse. When the going gets tough, the tough starts pulling tasty treats from her bag. Judge me if you want, but I would rather have my child munching on some cheese crackers than crying and screaming because sitting in a stroller or a cart is just no fun. Remember to change up the snacks too. The element of surprise is always nice. I once pulled a loaf of raisin bread from my purse… yes, I am THAT mom, but I am also the mom that completes her to-do list!

ELECTRONICS ANYONE?

I will not be a hypocrite and tell you that I do not believe in giving a child an electronic device in order to buy yourself some time. My motto is, as long as it’s educational, it’s going to get a download from me. I make them take turns after each round so that they both get the opportunity to play a little. I have also done this in restaurants and have been given the evil eye by fellow moms sitting with their well behaved children. Does it bother me? Not one bit. The way I see it, I am doing both of us a favor. We both get to enjoy a meal without having to hear a screaming child; or worse-one that has discovered that the best attention getter is to throw a spoon half way across a room. You’re welcome, mom sitting across from me. Feel free to buy me a download any time.

USE DOGS, PIGS OR COWS TO
THWART A FULL-ON TANTRUM

MOO! Yes, you read correctly. Look at your child and start mooing like a cow, or oinking like a pig. I can not count how many times I have stopped a full blown tantrum by distracting them. I could care less if my mooing makes people think that I have lost it (I lost it a while ago). As long as I have two happy children, I will keep doing it proudly. Keep in mind that this tactic can backfire if used too often. I was recently at a mega store when my Twin A started screaming because she wanted to go home. What did my Twin B do? She mooed. This made the screaming exponentially worse! Obviously Twin A thought Twin B was making fun of her while Twin B was only doing what she had seen me do so many times. Then what, you ask? I barked. Loudly. So loudly that a store employee burst into laughter. Hey, I might not be the world’s best mom, but no one can say I’m not an entertaining one! You can also twirl the stroller or cart to make them think they’re on a racetrack. Make it fun.
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How do you keep your twins (or children) from having a melt down during a shopping trip or while you run errands? Do you mix it up too, or does one technique work all the time?

Let us know in the comments below!

Julixa Newman, is a published writer/author, and the president of Stuff4Multiples.com. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, Julixa founded Stuff 4 Multiples in 2009, shortly after giving birth to twin girls. Her articles about parenting multiples are featured on several parenting websites, as well as in such magazines as Twins and Sixty Second Parent. She is also an entrepreneur who has designed several products geared at making parenting twins easier, including the TwinTrexx twin baby carrier. Her most recent endeavor is Forest Friends: Book About Me, which is the first baby book for LGBT families.