Introduction

Becoming a mother is rarely what you expect.

Jane Roper never expected she’d have twins—or that they’d be such a spirited twosome. She didn’t expect that finding the right balance of work and home would be so tricky. And she certainly didn’t expect she’d grapple with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder during her daughters’ toddler years. But she also didn’t anticipate just how much joy, laughter and self-discovery motherhood would bring.

 

Full of warmth, honesty, occasional advice, and a generous helping of humor, Double Time is a smart and engaging account of the first three years with multiples and a refreshingly candid and vulnerable look at clinical depression. It’s a memoir that will resonate countless women—especially those parenting in double time.

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Excerpt

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It got suddenly very quiet in the exam room.
I was just over six weeks pregnant, at the fertility clinic for a follow-up ultrasound to make sure my pregnancy was on the right track: not ectopic, not an empty egg sac, not a false alarm.
There were five of us crammed into the tiny room: a young doctor doing the ultrasound; the senior doc who’d overseen my fertility treatments; a nurse; my husband, Alastair; and me—lying on the table with my feet in stirrups and an ultrasound wand plunged up into my ladyparts. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. On the most literal level the title, Double Time, refers to the fact that Jane has twins. But are there other themes or aspects of the author’s experiences that the title addresses?

2. When Jane found out she was pregnant with twins, she had many fears and apprehensions about how becoming a mother of twins would change her life. Do you think those fears were justified? Do they apply to any expectant mother, or do you think they are unique to moms of multiples?

3. When did you first “fall in love” with your child or children? Were your feelings of love instantaneous, or did they develop over time, as was the case for Jane?

4. Some of the twin parenting challenges Jane describes, such as avoiding comparisons and finding time to spend alone with each of her girls, could just as easily be faced by parents with children of different ages. Do you think these challenges are more difficult or complex with twins?

5. Jane writes of the “hyperparenting zeitgeist” among people in her socioeconomic group of college-educated, urban-dwelling professionals. Have you experienced or felt pressured by this phenomenon? In what ways and to what extent do you think Jane is influenced by this trend?

6. Jane’s husband Alastair had experienced clinical depression himself, and was extremely supportive and understanding when her depression resurfaced and worsened. How do you think her experience might have been different if this hadn’t been the case? Have you ever had a friend or loved one with serious depression? Or, if you’ve suffered from depression yourself, how has the support of friends and family, or lack thereof, affected your experience?

7. When Jane is diagnosed as being on the bipolar spectrum, she fears the stigma of the illness. Do you agree that there is a stigma associated with bipolar disorder? How are attitudes toward bipolar and other mood disorders changing?

8. The dedication of Double Time reads “For Elsa and Clio, of course.” How do you think Elsa and Clio might react to this book once they’re old enough to read it?

9. Jane shares the comments of a reader of her blog who says she’s tired of the “chorus of privileged, complaining women” talking about the challenge of balancing work and home. Do you agree with the commenter’s point of view?

10. Would you ultimately agree with the book’s subtitle that Jane “mostly thrived” through her first three years as a mother?

Weblinks

»	Author Jane Roper's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info

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