Splitting Up

My husband called me 2 weeks ago and said the pre-school asked our thoughts on putting the twins in separate classrooms.   They have enough kids to meet the student/teacher ratio for 2 classes with the same curriculum. 

I wasn't quite sure what to say.  I'm not opposed to it but at the same time, it makes me sad.   I want them to be treated as individuals and not a "unit" but having them together also gives me a feeling of peace.  They have each other if one gets sad or needs a hug.

A friend of ours has 9-year old twin boys and she told us she had to split them up when they reached kindergarten because one of the boys was too dependent on the other.   It was also causing issues with making friends and having mutual friends (he's MY friend... no, he's MY friend).  

I could see how that would be a problem with twins of the same sex but with B/G twins, I always planned for things to play out naturally.  They would automatically have different interests and would naturally split themselves as they get older. 

So, we talked about it and decided we'd give it a try.  If either of the twins showed any signs of stress or started acting out, we could put them back together.   The split does have some advantages.  One of the classrooms has a guy teacher.  He's a young guy and he's great with the kids. I think it's important for boys to have positive role models and mentors outside of their father.  The principal said Chris responds to him well and actually listens better in his class than with a female teacher. 

And, with potty training, a guy teacher with Kendall made me a little hesitant.  There is a girl assistant teacher and I'm sure she handles the girls in this area but still.....

I asked the principal if the twins were inseparable or always together when in class and she said they weren't really.  I know they are both very protective of each other.  If Kendall gets upset or cries, Chris comes to her rescue.  If Chris gets in trouble, Kendall gets upset too. 

The two classrooms do interact with one another so the kids still see each other a few times per day - mainly during playground time and at the end of the day.   And, having them in different classrooms will actually make it easier if I need to pick one of them up early.  It used to be a 2-for-1 deal.  

So, we'll see how things go.  This is the 2nd week of separation and so far, so good.   I thought it might also make the twins play better at home since they won't be together 24/7.  So far, I haven't really noticed a difference - Chris still picks on her like a typical big brother.  LOL!