It’s that time again. I load up my four kids (ages 8,5,2&2) and we head to the grocery store.
As I find a parking spot and turn off the car, I brace myself for the circus that is about to ensue. My fellow moms out there can relate to grocery shopping with children. It is not usually the funnest experience around, especially when you have multiple children. Having toddler twins amplifies the terrible experience, as there is almost never a time where we can just get in and get out without being stopped multiple times by strangers.
Almost automatically, the first thing out of someone’s mouth when they see I have twins is “Oh that’s nice, its like a two for one special.” Most of the time I just force a giggle and say yea, kind of. But in my head I am thinking its actually nothing like that. The only time I have only had to pay for one of them was during my pregnancy and delivery. Otherwise they are not a 2 for 1 special. They are two separate people. They eat twice as much food, I have to buy twice as many clothes, diapers, wipes, formula, the list goes on and on. The one that hurts my wallet the most, is paying two different co-pays at the doctor, when we are seen at the same time, for the same amount of time as one child. The two for one special is only one of the many things I hear from strangers in the grocery store. As I continue shopping while trying to keep my toddlers occupied it isn’t long before someone else stops us. “Oh man, you have your hands full” as they give me a concerned look. I so badly want to say no, no I don’t. Does it look like I have my hands full? Instead I smile and say “Yes, yes I do.”
By this time the toddlers are loosing their cool, my 5 year old has asked me to buy him everything within sight and my sweet 8 year old is trying her best to help me control the circus that I knew would become of this trip. As I quickly grab a few more things on my list, I hear another passerby “Are those twins? They look the same age. Are they identical or fraternal? Is it so cool having twins. You are so blessed.” As I politely try to answer all her questions, all I can think about it how I can’t wait to hurry, check out and get into my car.
I know people are just curious, but my kids are a ticking time bomb and we only have so much time in the grocery store before all hope is gone. By the time we get to the check out stand, both toddlers are standing in the back of the cart as I try to wrangle them to sit down while simultaneously loading my groceries onto the conveyor belt. And inevitably the cashier begins to ask me all the questions I have been asked by strangers throughout the store.
I don’t know why but for some reason, twins are like a novelty. It’s like nobody has ever seen twins before. It’s a good thing I am a pretty good at multitasking. I have now become practically an expert at keeping toddlers in a cart, while loading groceries, answering lots of questions and trying to be patient with those questions that come with twins. I have also learned that going anywhere will take lots of time and patience, not only because of my kids, but because of those people who want to see our circus.
