In November Noah and Ivy will be turning four.

I’m really loving this age.

Noah is all about cars and diggers and anything that moves, really.

Ivy is all things girly.

She is particularly into fairies and mermaids.

She will take a tea towel from the drawer and fashion a tail for any doll that catches her eye.

Their boy/ girl differences are definitely beginning to show, although Noah, I think, is a little more feminine than most boys and Ivy can be quite tomboyish when she feels like it, there are times now when they do not see eye to eye in their play.

Ivy will wrap Noah’s Thomas trains up like newborns and place them in the dolly stroller.

This drives Noah insane.

“No, Ivy! NO! They are twains, not babies!”

In return, Noah will grab a dolly and pretend she is a ‘post officer’ delivering the mail.

Ivy does not take kindly to her mermaids delivering anything, let alone the mail.

“No, Noah! Mermaids, can’t deliver the mail, they have fins, they can’t walk or drive! Leave her alone, that’s not a post bag, that’s a sea shell!”

Still, some days they play very nicely together, like this morning when Noah’s digger was opening the door to the mermaid’s house that was stuck for some reason, known only to them.

I am a frequent observer these days, rather than being included in the role playing.

The differences are starting to show in other places too.

At the moment the pair share a room.

Ivy is neat and loves to have everything in its place.

Noah is  messy and loves to have stashes of toys and books within easy access.

Ivy wants butterflies and ribbons hanging from the ceiling.

Noah would like to rip those butterflies down and replace them with large posters of  “Lightming the queen” (Lightening McQueen).

Ivy despises any cars, including Lightning, Roary and the Wiggles big  red one. 

Noah wants a Thomas the tank engine quilt cover and cushion for his bed.

Ivy has vetoed that idea.

 She thinks Noah needs a Cinderella on his quilt.

Can you imagine Noah’s glee at the thought?

What I am thinking is that maybe it is time to separate these two.

What I am also thinking is that I could paint and decorate their rooms accordingly, for their forth birthdays.

I’ve got lots of ideas.

I didn’t have these issues with Imogen and Madeline. As same sex twins, they have always shared a room and although their likes are different from one another, they have always blended just fine.

Not so, with boy girl twins.

I don’t really have a problem with them sharing a room at the moment but I’m wondering when it is considered weird to share  with your sister, if you are a boy

or

when it is deemed uncool to have a brother in your bedroom.

So, should I give them their own space

and

if you were turning four, would you like to wake up on your birthday to a new bedroom?