Do kids actually grow up one day? Does it get easier?

[goldygirl1]

Hi,
I'm a Mum of 18month old twin boys. Lately I've been so stressed and depressed. It feels like every 5 minutes my boys are screaming from fighting with each other or hurting themselves doing something silly or something they aren't supposed to be doing! I feel so helpless and like I have no control as a mother. Sometimes I lose myself and I yell at them coz I'm just so frustrated. Also, they still aren't sleeping through the night which makes everything so much worse :-(
My partner is working away from home (3 weeks at a time and 3 days off), my Mum works full-time, I don't like to bother my in-laws too much as they have full custody of another grandchild at the moment and I don't like to be a pain.
I just feel so alone and angry at my life. I feel like this is going on forever, everyone says kids grow up so fast, but it is going incredibly slow for me! Feels like they should be at least 5years old already!
Please tell me if there is light at the end of the tunnel.. Very grateful for any response or advice you may have.

I don't have much advice as my baby is only 5 months....I frequently just repeat the phrase 'this too shall pass'! Bumping, so hopefully some wise ones with more advice will follow. For now, have some

Yes

This morning on the drive to school I chatted with the kids about the news, a book they had read and our plans for the weekend.

Last year they were fighting over looking out of each others windows, breathing on each other or a "look" that one had given the other.

Challenges are different but less wearing

I found a huge difference around 2... Life became so much more enjoyable and I could reason with her, she understood no and consequences...

DD2 is a nightmare and 19 months... I'm desperate for her to get to 2!

Oh yes it gets better.

This time last year I had a relentlessly tantruming 2.7 year old and a 3 month old - both of whom were waking every 2-3 hours each. So no sleep.

Now I have an extremely cute 1.3 year old, and a bright if quirky 3.7 year old who rub along together . Most of the time anyway! A year difference and it is south better.

So much. Not south. And although the one year old still wakes every 2-3 hours at least the three year old normally sleeps trough now!

Twins are really hard. I had two single DC's before my twins. I was still stunned by how difficult it was to deal with two at once! Especially without sleep.

Do you go to a twins club? That can be a real source of support & a chance to get out for a bit with other people who understand how much hard work it is.

Also, it will get easier. My twins are just 2 now. There has been a real difference in them just in the last month or so. They are getting better at sharing and generally calmer. I know that by the time they are three, it will be much easier. They will be able to talk to me properly so there will be less tantrums, hopefully they will be toilet-trained (imagine no more nappies!! ), starting to get themselves dressed and able to climb in and out of their car seats by themselves.

You have a lot to look forward to but you are in the tough part at the moment. If you can get the sleeping sorted then life will feel 90% easier straight away. Good luck

I feel for you. I am struggling with one 17 month old boy at the moment. My DD I'd nearly ten- very easy to look after- but she was much easier than DS as a toddler.
Is there any way you could afford to pay for a bit of help? DP works away and I need child are quite often early evening so I employ someone a couple of evenings a week for a couple of hours. It really helps. I contacted the local college and found someone who s on a child care course. Obviously that depends on your financial position..
it definitely does get easier. Just hang on in there.

Twins are hard work! Mine are 2.4 and while I want to cry some days, it is on the whole, much easier than the baby stage.

Mine can get in and our of the car themselves, feed themselves without too much mess, tell me what they want/need, play together for short bursts of time, put their own shoes on and walk next to me holding my hands and not run off in different directions These things made a big difference.

I too am also baffled when people say they grow so quickly and time goes by so fast. It didn't for me, time drags on very slowly!

18 month old twins is horrendouly hard work, cut yourself a lot of slack. I was absolutely sinking with an 18 mo and a 3yo. But things will get better. Hang in there.

It gets physically easier.
It gets emotionally harder.
Twins are still harder work than singletons even when they are ten (or maybe that's just mine).

For me, things started getting a bit more manageable when the twins started preschool, and then again when they started full-time school.