This week is Twins, Triplets and More week, a yearly event organised by the Twins and Multible Birth Association.

In case you hadn't noticed, there are two twins plonked right in the Big Brother house.

Linda Jones, mother of twins, has written us a guest post about the impact Sam and Amanda are having on multiple birth families across the UK.

Samanda are ‘double trouble’ say families

You may remember that last week the esteemed editor of Available for Panto pointed you, dear esteemed reader to my poll about what on earth families with twins make of Samanda.

Well, the results are in. Despite (or possibly because of) their hilarious hi-jinks in the psychic testing, two thirds of respondents said they were annoying – and potentially “damaging” to the way twins are brought up.

So there you have it – a load of parents with no sense of humour, right?

No, believe it or not, it’s an important issue and during the current Twins, Triplets & More Week, a UK charity says it’s more important than ever to big up twins’ differences, not harp on about psychic powers and the like.

While the identical 19-year-olds from Stoke say they have never spent more than a week apart and reportedly have a 'secret pact' that they'll leave the house together, Tamba (The Twins and Multiple Births Association) stress the importance of individuality.

Tamba director Helen Forbes says: "Our office and online message boards are buzzing with a discussion about the girls being seen as a unit rather than two individuals.

"These are parents of identical twin girls for whom the very notion of identical mini skirts and hair styles, not to mention same sounding names, spell twin-parental failure.

"Where is the girls' individuality? Can they operate individually or are they destined to go through life as a pair? They gleefully played up to the Big Brother cameras on the first night by declaring 'If there's only one fit boy in the house we'll share him, definitely!'

"While the organisation bases its guidance on a strong body of twin research and nearly 30 years of parents' experiences, there is of course a need for balance and a right for adult twins to make up their own minds, as Sam and Amanda have done.

"A lot of effort has gone into raising awareness over recent years that twins are individuals and the way these girls are being shown is making some parents feel uneasy."

Some 28 per cent of respondents said that Sam and Amanda were having fun - and good luck to them!

My own view is that Sam and Amanda are brilliant housemates as they are good fun and their heart is in the right place - but I can appreciate the point of view about how twins shouldn't have to be seen as a unit, rather than individuals - this drives me nuts if it applies to my daughters.

But then if they were to act like Charley, I think I may be a tad more annoyed. [Linda Jones]

-->

Came straight to this page? Visit www.availableforpanto.com for all the latest news.

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://shinymedia.headshift.com/cgi-bin/mt4/mt-tb.cgi/40586

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Live Big Brother - 1pm: Samanda are double trouble: