New York Moms Go Nuts for Twins

by Elise Nersesian (Subscribe to Elise Nersesian's posts) Feb 2nd 2009 5:00PM

Categories: Just For Moms, Pregnancy & Birth, Weird But True, Twins, Triplets, Multiples

No doubt about it, having twins is a blessing -- but it can also mean a complicated pregnancy, double the bills, and more sleepless nights than you bargained for. However, these days in New York City, having twins also means something else: Elevated social status.

In a recent article titled "New York's Diaper Rush," Manhattan mothers of twins confessed that pulling double duty has awarded them more popularity than they ever imagined.

Here, the top three perks of having a double:

You Get Your life Back Quicker: Who wants to sweat back to her pre-pregnancy weight only to get preggers again shortly after and ruin all that hard work? "I have my body back, " said one Gramercy Park mom with 3-year-old twin girls. "And while my friends are bracing themselves for baby number two and all the sleep deprivation and chaos that comes with it, we are planning a family trip to Hawaii." In other words, you get thinner quicker and a complete mommyhood in one shot.

You Get More Attention: For some moms, having people see double when they walk down the street can be a great ego boost. "For people who like attention, twins are great, said one mom named Risa. "If I am ever depressed, I put my boys in the stroller and take a walk down the street and people just go nuts." So nuts in fact, that her sons were even cast on the soap opera Guiding Light, and Risa has been invited into an inner circle of moms with twins. "It can feel elitist. But they get it in a way that someone with one kid will never understand."

It's a Status Symbol: Thanks to the media attention that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins, Knox and Vivienne, and Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's babies Max and Emme have received, multiples symbolize success and indulgence. According to experts, the natural twin rate is two percent while the rate using IVF is 20 percent. People often assume mothers of twins have undergone IFV (a pricey procedure priced up to $25,000). In other words, having multiples can mean: "We can afford fertility treatments, double daycare, school tuition and big vacations. How 'bout you?"

Do you think having twins can elevate your social status, or are these moms just plain obnoxious?

Comments (14)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Melissa 2-02-2009 @ 5:38PM

Obnoxious....but it's so true, unfortunately. We as a society have given them this "status symbol" and made them obnoxious.

lromansky 3-17-2009 @ 1:59PM

Instead of calling all twin mothers "obnoxious" how about the fact that many of us could not conceive naturally? I'm an about to be first time mother of twin boys, conceived using IVF. I tried for 3 years to conceive naturally before resorting to fertility treatments. Yes I am blessed that I was able to afford it, but to call me "obnoxious" because I was fortunate enough to get pregnant with two at once rather than having two separate pregnancies is ridiculous. I'm not out there looking for a social status climb. I am probably about to endure the most stressful years of my life trying to raise two children at once. If people want to be nicer to me or single me out of a crowd b/c I have twins, and if I'm able to lose the pregnancy weight for once and all - so be it. If I had been able to get pregnant naturally I would have and done it the natural way. So if you want to call someone "obnoxious" why not take a look in the mirror?

Melissa 3-17-2009 @ 2:11PM

Wow, did I say ALL mothers of twins were obnoxious? And I did say that we as a society made them this way....read everything I wrote before talking about me being the obnoxious one.

the goddess anna 2-02-2009 @ 6:28PM

As a mother of (naturally-conceived) twins (and an older singleton), I think these mothers are indeed obnoxious. They may like the attention, but honestly, I like to do my grocery shopping in peace - without every other person asking questions about my boys. Whatever happened to modesty and being humble?

alexis 2-07-2009 @ 5:42PM

Why is how they were conceived relevant?

the goddess anna 2-07-2009 @ 6:12PM

At the end of the post above:
According to experts, the natural twin rate is two percent while the rate using IVF is 20 percent. People often assume mothers of twins have undergone IFV (a pricey procedure priced up to $25,000). In other words, having multiples can mean: "We can afford fertility treatments, double daycare, school tuition and big vacations.

That's why I included how they were conceived.

Shann 2-02-2009 @ 6:33PM

I think it's sad that these parents use their kids as a status symbol. As if one child is not enough, and not special by themselves. I hate to see these kids when they get older, as I fear they will be somewhat self righteous and think they deserve so much more because they are a twin and have always been treated special because of it. Not all parents of twins are like this, but the ones in the article are obnoxious.

Kim Hays 2-02-2009 @ 7:11PM

I too have twins. Is my social status elevated? Uh, I don't have a social life. I'm home taking care of business, ya know? What I do like, though, is how much joy my twins seem to bring to others. That's a great perk.

Kim Hays
Moms at Work
http://orlandosentinel.com/momsatwork

mom01610 2-03-2009 @ 11:31AM

I agree with you, who has time to stand around and soak up status. there is too much to do for the kids, I do not have twins, however I am raising 4 beautiful children on my own, I work full time, and they still have time to do things they would like to do. What' s most important and giving the kids a good home, good values, and respect for other. Not worrying about who is looking at your children or you for that matter.

SKL 2-02-2009 @ 10:55PM

I'm with Kim. There is definitely something special about seeing two little ones of equal age bobbing around. My kids are 3 months apart, and I wish I could have a nickel for every time I've been asked "are they twins?" People just love the idea. Twins are extra cute (if I do say so myself) because of the unique way they interact with each other. And yeah, I have to say that my neighbors of 14 years didn't even know I existed until I started taking my kids out for walks. Not sure that's a matter of "status." Mostly these are older people who are happy to have a little sweetness in their day. It doesn't really do anything for "me" or for my kids - other than the feeling that there are a lot of extra eyes looking out for my kids.

Before I had kids, I was equally awed by the sight of twins. Maybe the "awe" factor will decline as more and more people are having twins due to later pregnancies and medically-assisted pregnancies. But I don't see anything wrong with it.

CLM 2-03-2009 @ 8:39AM

We may not often agree, but I'm with you on this one. I think the mothers to a certain degree are misunderstood. They are talking about what people see from the outside looking in at mothers of multiples, not necessarily their own attitudes. As a mother of twins, I can attest to the crazy level of attention you get. I did not go into motherhood looking for that! However, there is no denying my boys make other people smile. Am I supposed to resent that? If so, why? I personally see nothing wrong with other people enjoying the sight of my children. Occasionally, I have reason to be grateful, because my boys are FAST!

L 2-03-2009 @ 10:08AM

I am a mother of twins (conceived all naturalle).
I have a boy and a girl. I carried them for 36 weeks and ended up raising them by myself. I work extra hard now to take care of them and don't feel any extra attention. Because they are boy/girl, most people just think they are different ages. My daughter is taller then her brother, even though he is 1 minute older. i am amazed at how many people these days are having twins/multiples in the limelight. Everytime you turn around someone is having. What was once a spectacle, has changed to the norm.

Tuchi 2-03-2009 @ 10:17PM

As a mom of 3 kids and 3 pregnancies, I actually feel sorry for moms who have twins. No offense to anyone! I just feel like they should need so much help!!!
I would much rather get fat with each pregnancy and enjoy each kid individually until the time comes to have another one.
SORRY! but totally disagree with the article.

Linda 2-08-2009 @ 2:27AM

I definitely agree that twins get more attention because you don't see them on the street every day. And people love to gush at how cute they look in their matching outfits.

In fact, one of my former co-wokers was a twin. Her twin sister came to visit very briefly. When I told another co-worker that he missed seeing the twin sister, he was all disappointed because he missed an opportunity to see twins together.

Seems twins are more special because like I mentioned earlier, you don't seem them around every day. No one will get disappointed when you just missed meeting your co-worker's sister, but they get disappointed when they just missed seeing the co-worker's TWIN sister.