- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Separation Anxiety
A Dad Reflects on Choosing Separate Classrooms for His Twins By George Ayres
le still got them confused since they looked so much alike. We wanted to make sure that others got to know them as the individuals that we knew they were.
As expected, this wasn't the kind of decision you make without a lot of thought. Even though we thought it was what we wanted to do, we still needed reassurance. We talked with other parents of twins, various teachers and school administrators. All advice was mulled over, discussed, even dreamed about, for days and nights. We weighed the pros and cons – how the girls would grow accustomed to being around other children without each other. We wondered how their teachers might handle them when they missed each other. But mostly, we worried about how Liza and Hallie would become acclimated to being on their own for the first time.
Separation anxiety usually refers to a child's fear at being separated from their mother, father or caretaker. But we were dealing with something else here. Being a father of twins, I watch my girls closely, and I can see their bond together is unique and special. It seems like a connection that's just as strong, although different, as a mother and child's relationship. It's a strong tie that transcends everything Liza and Hallie have experienced so far in their young lives. It seems to me that unless you're a twin, the dynamics of this kind of separation don't register, nor do we, their own parents, entirely comprehend it.
One night, all this hemming and hawing found its way into our dinner conversation. One of the girls casually asked, "But won't we see each other on the playground every day?" "Yes, you probably will," we said. "And she'll be right across the hall, right?" the other one a
