I couldn’t help but feel for the sweet dad I saw pushing his newborn twin girls today down the frozen food aisle. A blank look hung across his face as he gazed at the small variety of frozen pizzas. Several thoughts raced through my mind…
Was this dinner tonight? Has he been getting any sleep? Hell, had he even brushed his teeth today?
I wanted to reach out, and let him know, “I feel you.”
The season of life is short, yet when you are in the thick of it, those days can feel like the longest days of your life.
The unsynchronized naps of two tiny humans, the constant feedings and endless diaper changes….oh, I see you and remember so vividly what it was like.
As I walked by the twin dad pushing his cart full of groceries and two new babies, he glanced up and shot me a look. It wasn’t an “oh great is this lady going to interrogate me” kind of look, but more of a look of solidarity.
I held back from asking him questions, knowing all too well that he probably would love for someone to pass by without wanting to know their age, social security numbers and if they were identical or not. To my surprise he actually reached out to me.
He said, “Hey! How old are those boys? Are they twins?” I kindly replied, “They are 3 already, it’s crazy how fast the years went by.”
On cue, his daughter started wailing and crying uncontrollably. Frantically looking for her pacifier he asked, “This gets easier right?”
I smiled and said, “You got this!”
It was a short and simple encounter that day in the frozen food aisle. We didn’t need to chat long, exchange advice or even ask each other a ton of invasive questions. There was an understanding. An appreciation between two parents understood that each other.
To the new twin dad that I met at the store if you ever stumble upon this post (most likely in search of infant sleep information), I hope you know that you are crushing it. Even on the days that you don’t feel like you are…YOU ARE! The seasons of life will change; when you figure out this stage, the next one will show up and you’ll be learning how to navigate that too. Hang in there, enjoy the ride. You are doing an amazing job.
