I could relate to so many of the stories

books:


	• It's Twins!: Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence Susan M. Heim Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2007 - 306 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It's an OK book

This book was just "OK" for me. I'm a new Mom of identical twin boys (now 6 months old). I was looking for a book that would tell me everything I needed to know on the real important stuff, like sleeping, feeding, etc. I didn't want just stories I wanted straight and specific answers. I wanted more advice and more information on what to expect. This book did have some very good information, just not as much as I was hoping for. And the advice it did give was all across the board - I guess they wanted to give information on the different ways to handle things - but I wanted one answer and it to be the "right" way... maybe there isn't a right way. Now being an actual Mom of twins (with 6 whole months of experience - ha ha) - I could now give some very specific "helpful hints" that I wish this book would have given me.

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I could relate to so many of the stories

It's Twins is a wonderful way to connect you to other twin parents. So often as new moms and multiples moms we get overwhelmed and feel very housebound. This book helped me laugh and cry with other parents who had similar experiences. I am a mother of boy/girl twins who are now five. I, of course, had to laugh at a story about birthday parties for boy/girl twins. It was a pirate and princess party. As you can imagine half way through the party, the pirates were chasing the princesses all over the backyard. As my children get older, I can relate to the stories about school placement, friendship problems, academic differences, and basic gender differences. This is a book that I will continue to consult as my children become pre-teens, teens, and beyond. It is made up of short stories so makes an excellent nightstand book. You can read a couple pages a night and still feel you are getting good information.

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You Will Survive- This Book Will Help!

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

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Twin Thumbs Up!!

I love this book! The articles, personal experience stories, and Points to Ponder are a wonderful blend of information, emotion, and help to parents seeking guidance and choices for their own parenting styles. No children are alike, and one approach does not fit all. This book understands that parents want to learn about different parenting approaches. The Points to Ponder help parents think through their various options. "It's Twins" is very well organized by developmental stages. As a teacher, this book was also very helpful to me in understanding the dynamics of the twin relationship and the issues faced by the twins in my classroom.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Raising any child is a challenge, but what happens when they come as a pair? As any parent of multiples will tell you, sometimes only talking with another parent who's been there can get you through the difficult times and help you to cherish the moments that make twins truly "double the love." In this complete guide to raising multiples from infancy through the high-school years, Susan M. Heim, a mother of twins herself, offers the insight and advice that only a mother of multiples can give. It's Twins arms parents with the information they need, from decisions about breast-feeding versus formula and classroom placement, to dispelling myths about twins and ensuring equal treatment while fostering individuality and combating competitiveness. Best of all, It's Twins outdoes all those "dry" parenting manuals by offering chatty, bite-size bits of real-world wisdom and experiences from other moms and dads at various stages of twin-rearing, making this guide not just informative but entertaining as well. A former Senior Editor for HCI's bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Susan M. Heim is the author of Twice the Love: Stories of Inspiration for Families of Twins, Multiples and Singletons (TWINS magazine, 2006, ISBN 1-891846-31-0) and co-author of Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year (Hampton Roads, 2006, ISBN 1-57174-503-3).

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