Are all twins like this?
I have fraternal twin boys that just turned 2 years old. They are pretty different, one is the bigger, more outgoing twin, full of energy, nonstop chatter. The other twin, on the other hand, is a bit more reserved, a little more cautious but he can still get as silly as his brother, particularly when they're chasing each other around house and up and down the hallways. What I'm wondering is why our more quiet son isn't talking as clear as his brother. He speaks a lot but his words aren't very clear; I have a terrible time figuring out what he wants. Many of his words don't even sound like what he's trying to tell me so i have to play a game of yes and no to figure it out! He does understand what you're telling him and his brother seems to understand him, so I'm wondering if this happens a lot with twins. Does the "older" twin tend to speak more and perhaps do the talking for the other? Maybe he knows his brother does most of the talking so he doesnt have to. Any thoughts?
RE: Are all twins like this?
I have fraternal twins (boy and girl) and we experienced the exact same situation. My son did not talk clearly at all and my daughter ended up translating most of his words for me and my husband. When he turned three I got nervous about this because I didn't want him to start school with inadequate language skills. When I spoke to his doctor, she checked his hearing and found nothing wrong, but she did suggest that I sign him up for speech lessons (offered for free through the public school system). After a few weeks of speech, my son began to speak more clearly. He is thirteen now, a straight A student and regularly speaks (very clearly) in front of his entire school. I say this to assure you that your son's language skills will most likely develop in time. However, I do encourage you to check with your doctor for guidance.
By the way, I asked my son if he remembers how he spoke back then, he says thought he was speaking regularly, but always wondered why my answer never had anything to do with what he wanted (lol)
Batanya Gipson
I don't have twins but always
I don't have twins but always wished that I did! I have read about the concern you're facing and from what I can remember, it is totally normal. I think it's a good sign that your "younger" one is trying to talk and would guess that everything is OK. Maybe just check with your doctor to make sure and ask your "older" one to let the younger one ask for certain things on his own -- things such as juice and food and toys. Everything else, the older one can translate for you. Tell him he's a part-time translator now!
Then slowly increase the number of things the younger one must say on his own. That way you're taking the transition step by step and not taking your older one out of the picture too quickly as you also encourage your younger one to speak clearer. If your doctor does have concerns, I think most of the local cities have special intervention programs to help with speech. I hope this becomes a distant memory soon and that you find yourself wishing for the days when the younger one didn't speak so much!
Kristen De Deyn Kirk
Editor, Mytidewatermoms.com