Follow the leader

My kids operate on the mentality of “anything you can do I can do better.” They follow each other around the house proving this all day long. Taylor climbs the couch and Benjamin follows with such gusto that he almost launches himself over the back of the chair. Benjamin begins spinning around in circles and Taylor joins in with such speed and velocity that he almost face plants into the nearby wall. And let’s not even start with bath time. Troy and I often depart the bathroom soaked from head to toe after the boys made a show of how well they can splash. We’ve actually considered commencing the bed time routine in our swimsuits.

This game of follow the leader becomes even more of an issue when it comes to time-out. The boys seem to enjoy the act of disobedience. “No” means “Yes” and “Yes” means “Yes.” Needless to say, the boys are put on a lot of time-outs. Frankly, I’ve abandoned this method of discipline because it’s nearly impossible for me to keep them on time-out. It’s almost as if the word “No” means that one of the kids is doing something more fun than the other. It is the official calling of twin boys. It means, “this is really cool, you gotta come try it.” Meanwhile, I’m trying to keep Taylor on time-out as Benjamin is full speed ahead to commit the very act that just got his brother in trouble. And around and around it goes. Where it stops…

Another game the kids seem to enjoy…Marco Polo. Now Taylor can’t say “Marco” and Benjamin definitely can’t pronounce “Polo” but “Da?” and “Da.” Seem to work just fine for their purposes. It’s their twin brother locating device. Taylor calls out from the mudroom and a couple seconds later you’ll hear Benjamin’s response from the living room.

“What are you doing over there, bro? Anything I should check out.”

“No…Mom’s just changing my diaper. Again.”

With all this game playing the kids sure do work up a thirst, but be careful that you’re not enjoying a cold beer (or soda for your PG version) because within seconds the boys will be at your feet panting, mouth wide open, for their own taster. Yes…they literally pant like dogs begging for a treat. It’s somewhat endearing until you can’t finish a single beverage without a child breathing heavily into your face.

I still worry sometimes that I’m not a good enough parent, then I witness Taylor patting Benjamin’s head in an attempt to ease his crying and my heart melts for these boys. They care dearly for each other, even if Benjamin does like to put Taylor in a choke hold and giggle like the evil twin he is.