24 November 2021

Having a Twins Trust volunteer expert at the end of the phone with some handy techniques has been a real lifeline for parents Helene and Gordon Stewart.  

Their five-year-old twin boys, Jack and George, had just started school in September 2020 when the nation was plunged into another lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.  

Faced with working full-time, plus home schooling the twins and their eldest son, Harvey, seven, it was a tough period of adjustment for the family, who live in Cambridge. 

Suddenly the twins were being more disruptive than usual and the family realised they needed some support.  

That’s when Helene turned to Twins Trust, having joined as a member when she was pregnant with the twins. 

Helene said: “The boys started school in September 2020, then we had lockdown after Christmas.  

“It was really stressful. 

“The boys went back to school and they were behaving very disruptively.” 

Helene said she and Gordon had told the boys not to be disruptive but it was hard to find a solution to the problem.  

She added: “I was feeling really bad, like we weren’t supporting the boys properly.  

"I didn’t know how to solve the behaviour issues. We were shouting all the time."

Having completed the behaviour webinar with Twins Trust, she then had a short phonecall with Renata, a Twins Trust volunteer specialising in family therapy, who gave sound advice and support.  

Helene said: “She reassured me and my husband, and said we weren’t doing anything wrong. It was really nice to speak to someone who has twins. I didn’t have to explain anything. 

It was really nice to speak to someone who has twins. I didn’t have to explain anything.

“The boys are clever, too clever for their own good and that was part of the problem.” 

Helene spoke about behaviour techniques with Renata and about telling the boys what would happen if they did misbehave. Renata suggested giving them a time warning if they were going to be doing something, like eating dinner, so the boys were prepared. They also discussed situations and consequences of actions with the boys.  

“The boys learnt that if we say no, that’s a no and we are not going to be persuaded,” Helene said.  

Praising Renata’s advice, Helene said: “It was really helpful.  

I would say Twins Trust is like a community. Joining that community, it just feels like you’re not on your own. It makes a big difference.