It's twice the fun with twins
For those of you who haven’t been blessed with multiples in your home or extended family, I guess I could say I feel sorry for you, but then again, you might say you feel sorry for me!I’ve been blessed to be the grandmother of twins, a boy and a girl, and even more blessed to be allowed to care for them almost since birth. To say that has been a unique experience is an understatement, but it is an experience I could never have conceived of and would never, ever want to have missed.
The twins turned two this year, and with their parents and a friend, we recently ventured to Twinsburg to the Twins Day Festival. The weather was beautiful, and it was an amazing afternoon. The festival is open to all twins, identical or fraternal, and all other multiples, regardless of age, and their families.
My grand-twins aren’t identical, as a matter of fact, far from it. They are as different in looks and personality as any non-twin brother and sister could be. We saw twins just like them, and still others who were so identical you couldn’t tell them apart. Twins of all ages, more than 1,700 sets of them, were in attendance, including one set of twins, in their 50s, who gave out cards telling of the fact that they were born nine hours apart. Poor mom! In those years, many times women didn’t even know they were expecting twins, and then to labor for an additional nine hours for the second one! Wow!
The festival takes place on Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. There are activities, raffles, food, games, and a group picture on Saturday and Sunday. It is generally a great time for everyone, and we met some really nice people, some that have been returning year after year. We saw license plates from Florida, New York, Canada, South Carolina, and many more. I’m told twins attend from outside the U.S., and many plan their vacations around this specific weekend.
One set of twins from Massachusetts told us they leave their husbands at home and enjoy the weekend as a unique getaway once a year, a time to reconnect and strengthen that special bond that most multiples seem to have.
We were glad we went, and I’m sure we will attend again next year. In the meantime, I’ll count my blessings on a daily basis that I have been given the privilege of having twins in my life. Yes, twice the headaches with teething, potty training, and all the normal childhood problems. But when I multiply the sweet smell of new babies, snuggling under my chin after a bottle, little arms wrapped around my neck for a hug, goodnight kisses, and all the other wonderful parts of grandparenthood, I’m so glad it happened to me!