Tuesdays in Twinland: The Laundry Basket

Every day the twins get more hilarious. They have recently discovered that they can work together to accomplish tasks and drive Mommy crazy.

They have also recently realized they can drive each other crazy. And when I say “they” I really mean Thing 1. Despite being quite a bit smaller than his brother, he is definitely the older brother (if only by two minutes) and has taken to asserting his authority of late so that Thing 2 knows who’s really in charge.

Yesterday the twins ended breakfast by throwing their food all over the kitchen floor and sitting in timeout while I cleaned up the mess (an almost inevitable occurrence every meal, no matter what I do). After getting out of timeout, they pulled out the empty laundry basket and started helping each other push it around the room. Thing 1 got on one side, Thing 2 got on the other, and together they were laughing and playing and giggling with glee.

My mother’s heart melted. They are so adorable, I thought. It’s moments like those that make me truly love being a twin mother. I love watching them interact. There’s nothing like it.

I turned my back on the kids and proceeded with cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast.

That’s when the screaming started. It was Thing 2 crying, I knew immediately. Thing 1 has become a bit of a bully, and Thing 2 isn’t great at defending himself. I turned around, thinking Thing 1 had stolen the laundry basket from his brother. Stealing toys is a favorite task of his lately.

He hadn’t stolen the laundry basket. Not quite. Thing 2 was trapped underneath the laundry basket. His little fingers reached through the slats as he cried hysterically for help. And Thing 1 sat triumphantly on top for the basket, grinning for all he was worth. He was still in charge.

I quickly got Thing 2 out. He really was scared, I think. But now I kind of wish I’d taken the time to take a picture.

It’s moments like these I hope I never forget. It’s the little things that give life color and make it worth living.

But I hope they can learn to get along better soon. (I can hear all you moms laughing out there.)