Thursday, June 26, 2014

After One Year in Separate Classes

It has been one full school year since our twins were separated. This had not been our request, but as the school year approached we were more pleased with the decision. So today was the last day of school and it has been a great year for both of our children.

They have each made a ton of friends and by getting to know their friends' parents, we feel much more a part of the community. Another set of girl twins have also become friends with our kids and likewise with their parents. We didn't make a request to keep our kids separated, but we assume they will be. However, what worked really well this year, that we did request again if possible, was to have them in classrooms nearby or in the same pod area. The school is large and it still increases their comfort level to be nearby each other.

One interesting aspect of their school's class placement process is that each student gets to list six friends in his or her grade that he or she wants to be with. We asked our kids to tell us each of their lists, and even though the names were quite different, I believe each still listed the other as a choice. That was nice to hear.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Sometimes They Can't Both Win

Recently, a Facebook post caught my attention by asking what you do when one twin wins an award and the other doesn't. I got several Likes for my comment that my wife and I try to teach our kids to be happy for each others successes and not to brag about their accomplishments. This past year, there have been a few of these situations that we have had to deal with.

The most recent was my daughter passing her swim level while my son did not. We were proud of both children's effort and progress and my wife thought to reward both of them by making a special treat at home for them. This worked well.

Earlier in the school year, my son was surprised with a class academic award at a school assembly. But the best part of the story is that my daughter stood up and gave him an impromptu hug in support. So I think they are learning that each will have his or own time to shine and to be happy for the other one's accomplishments.