Francesca

Francesca’s tips on raising twins:

You have to be patient with the children.

You need to ask for help. You need other people.

I don’t know what it is about being a parent to twins, but you manage to find the other moms and dads of multiples. Even when you’re in a village in Guatemala, taking a cooking class.

Our class was hosted by Francesca. Her twins are now fully grown, but her memories of raising them at a time when her village lacked electricity and was much more impoverished were sharp. She talked about how hard it was to get up several times in the night to feed them by candlelight, or perhaps just by feel. She talked about asking her sister for help, and how things improved gradually. For her. For her village.

I asked her what her tips were on raising twins, and the two bits of advice were perfect. Patience and being willing to ask for help are not things that come naturally to me, but so many encounters in Guatemala drove home the same message: go ahead and face those challenges, you’re not alone.