Question for Mom's of Twins plus One

Here is the thing....your older son has a right to his own space, and it is up to you to see that he gets it.
Otherwise, he will resent the twins all his life.
So what if they want to intrude on his playdate.....YOU need to make sure they don't.
The family rule should be....NO fighting, period, NO name-calling...NO bullying etc.
YOU must nip any of this in the bud by addressing it the minute it starts, in no uncertain terms, and imposing consequences.
My daughter has two boys, ages 6 and 9, and she is constantly revamping rules and consequences to keep up with them.
A book that has helped her is RAISING BOYS by Dr. James Dobson.
Perhaps you could get some helpful ideas from it too.

Dear Krista,
Knowing you're not alone is comforting. My niece had a boy then she had a miscarriage, became pregnant with twins, became pregnant with triplets! She has 5 rambunctious boys and a quiet little girl. Children are a blessing! She is also on mamasource so maybe she will see your question and answer you.
I did come across gfi.org. It is a great resource for raising babies to toddlers on up. I would take advantage of this because it speaks to the child's heart and that is where it begins. L. J

Krista ,
It will get better. But remember all siblings fight.It is a natural thing and you have to control it.I know it is hard being the person to dish out punishments.Your older child needs to understand that his brothers just want to be with him because he can teach them. My sisters and I fought all of the time and boy I got my butt busted many times, but we were and are close and no one better mess with my sisters is the attitude I had when I was young.It is a strange bonding thing with siblings.I would say the best way to stop it would be to seperate them when they start to fight or argue. They are only expressing feelings and your twins really couldn't have the vocabulary to truely express what they want to say or what they are thinking.I also would make them hug each other and apologize to each other after the fights.It should bring them all closer together.
Good Luck.

I have a 5 yr old and twin boys that will be 2 on the 17th of august and i also hope it get better as they grow up but i am not sure. It is very hard for me i went back to school and i am about to finish and graduate and when i get home after nap they all fight all the time I did find that they do like to play with other children which is great. Being a mom of all Boys is hard itself bc they fight no matter what age. I have heard that it does get alot easlier when they get to the age of 5 and older which is good and everyone always ask about if it is easy or not having twins and i dont know what to say. Hope you can have your question answered

I hear you! and can empahtize. I have 3 boys (almost 9, 7, 4) and twin daughters (two in Oct.)
I understand the daily battles and the frustration. Do the twins still nap? Can you do special things with your 5 yr old during a nap time? I know it is impossible to do that everyday, but maybe 2 or three times a week? It would give him extra mommy time to look forward to.
I think that this age for twins is difficult! I never feel like very good company at play dates or get togethers, and I even find myself wondering what I am doing wrong. I never get to sit still and visit. I am on constant alert. One of my girls may be playing nicely right beside me, but the other will be on her own agenda! I really think that having 2 doing the same things at the same time is just hard. It is important to be consistent...I am hoping that within the next year or so that all my hard work will pay off!
Good luck to you. If you ever need an ear or want to swap funny twin stories, I'd love to hear!

While it is very frustrating, it will get better. I'm a mom of 4 (10 yo boy, 8 yo boy and 4 yo twin girls) and have been there (sometimes still am!) As the kids have gotten older, they continually get along better. The younger ages are difficult due to shorter attention spans, the "it's mine" age and smaller vocabulary. As they get older, they enjoy more activities together and begin to share better. I understand how hard it is to organize activities, but being outside is usually what I find helps break up bickering. Whether it be in you back yard with kicking a ball or swinging, a picnic, or taking them for a walk or a trip to the park, it usually allows them space and freedom needed to give them a break from each other. Once they've had that break, they usually end up playing very well together again. Take a deep breath and know you are doing the very best that you can - play with them and give lots of hugs - take breaks when you can and enjoy the thrills of a mom of multiples!!