Expert Interview: Patricia Malmstrom

The interesting blog Multiples and More! has an interesting interview with Patricia Malmstrom. Her new book, The Art of Parenting Twins, includes information about all things parents of multiples need to know/consider.

Her explanation about why parents should consider keeping their multiples together in school is simple, yet enlightening. It's very close to the reasoning I gave our school district, so I'm glad to know I was on the right track -- even if I didn't really know it at the time. It's always good to have an expert's opinion on the matter.

Separating my twins -- What was I Thinking?

I thought this was an interesting post from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog about deciding to separate twins in school.

Separating my twins -- What was I Thinking??

It's a humorous look at what happens after you decide to separate your twins in school. I'm sure anyone with children of different ages can relate too.

Which Twins?

I set a Google alert to find stories about issues related to our campaign. Naturally, one of the alerts uses "twins" as the key word.

You know what I receive most of the time? Stories about the Minnesota Twins.

It just goes to show that what a word means to you depends upon your perspective.

Across the Big Pond...

Just as the Twins Law campaigns are gaining steam in various parts of the United States, the issue crossed "the Big Pond." The Guardian today has an online article called Twin Set.

It's interesting to note that the issue parents of multiples face in the U.K. are the same ones we face here. Truly, we are all in this together.

Are twins ill-rewarded for what they teach us?

This is a new study about twins in school. While the study was done in the United Kingdom, the results are applicable anywhere.

Here's my favorite paragraph from the article:

The TAMBA report suggests two other failings in the system: it criticizes the policy of splitting twins up by putting them in different classes without taking parents' wishes into account, and it condemns the inflexibility it claims many local authorities show in refusing to allow parents of premature multiples the chance to hold them back a school year.

Read the entire article at http://www.preventionaction.org/prevention-news/twins-twins/5146

Parent Power in Placement of Twins

Here's an interesting article I found on a web site that aggregates articles. State Legislatures, a monthly magazine of state policy and politics, thought the topic of the placement of twins in the classroom merited a story in its September 2009 issue.

Now, we can only hope Illinois legislatures read Parent Power in Placement of Twins. It can only help them understand the trend sweeping across the country.

There's Always One...

Okay, I have one funny story from the IOMOTC convention that I need to share. My co-chair, Dan Bailey, was sitting at the table talking to someone about placement of multiples in school. A woman walked by and loudly said, "I want them to be separated." She didn't stop to talk. She just said it as she walked by.

This made me think that perhaps some people still don't get what we're trying to do. We don't want to keep your children together, nor do we want to separate them. We want to make sure it is your choice.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to tell her that. Maybe next time she'll stop to talk and find out what we're really doing.