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The Pam Gannis Story
Two Cakes and a Wealth of First-hand Experience By Charlene Torkelson
Gannis has 3 tips for parents of twins: 1. Always remember that they are two different people.
2. If she had it to do again, she would put the twins in separate bedrooms. "It's only logical", she says, reflecting that a crying baby will disturb the other baby, and then you have two crying babies. Separate rooms give both babies and Mom and Dad a little bit more needed sleep.
3. Don't compare and praise equally. Gannis admits that this one is trickier: How do you praise one for an accomplishment without making the other feel slighted? For example, when they both play basketball, one makes a basket and the other doesn't. You don't want to downplay the accomplishment made by the one who made the score. Gannis has a saying, "If you try, you're a winner!" Good for you if you tried your best. That's the rule in the Gannis household. "Step back and remind yourself that you have to be careful how you handle comparison situations," she says. "Don't build one up more than the other. Remember, good for you if you tried your best."
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Any funny stories? Any try to fool the teacher pranks? No, Gannis has only one story she likes to tell. The twins were in a rotating classroom where they both had the same teacher at different times in the day. One twin had been sick, so Pam sent a note asking that he be excused from the test that day. At the end of the day, she discovered the sick twin had taken the test and the healthy one had been excused. Oh well. Things like that are bound to happen sometimes when you're a twin