Marga and Rebeca share their beautiful family story on their Instagram profile, , including the adoption of a child with autism and the adventure of welcoming twin boys.

These two supermoms say they come from different worlds, but there’s no doubt that motherhood has made them stronger. Together, they’ve created a family of five with Lluís, the twins Mireia and Lleó, and their dogs Ona, Bru, and Mel.

1- What was the first feeling you had when you found out that you were going to
be moms for the first time? When did they call you to tell you that you were going to adopt
Lluís?

It was strange. Like many other situations in our lives, we anticipated what it would be like.
Involuntarily, we imagined it like a Hollywood movie, with everyone crying with joy.
The truth is, it wasn’t like that at all.
We received a call from the technician while we were in the car, so excited.
They congratulated us because we were approved for the adoption of Lluís. In
our case, a child had already been assigned to us, since our story is a bit
peculiar.

First of all, I would say it was a very cold moment. We were happy because
Lluís was going to have the family environment he had been waiting for for so long, and because,
on the other hand, we were scared. We did it for him; at that moment, it
wasn’t in our plans to become moms. When we hung up, we looked at each other and neither of us
stopped repeating: “Will we do it right?”

In the days that followed, we started to take it all in, and a huge sense of excitement
took over. We set up his room and looked for things that
we knew he liked so that, when he got home, he would feel comfortable.

What we didn’t know was that at home we already had those who would become his therapy—those who would welcome him with open arms, full of joy and eager to play with him: our dogs Ona, Bru, and Mel.

2-How did you tell Lluís that he was going to have siblings? How did he take it?

The truth is, we idealized that moment a lot. Marga came out of the bathroom with the test showing positive. I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh; it was a strange feeling, somewhere between what we wanted and not quite believing it. We ran to tell Lluís that there was a baby inside mommy’s belly, and he replied, “Oh, okay, baby,” and went right back to what he was doing.

Over time, we understood that Lluís hadn’t really understood anything that day. When we started explaining to him, little by little, that he was going to be the big brother—using visual aids and supports—he began to take on a very beautiful and healthy role.

3-What advice would you give to first-time parents who want to adopt?

There are many babies, children, and young people who need emotional stability, the love of a family, and the warmth of a home. Let’s not forget that they come with a book of life with many pages already written, and many others still to be written—pages that will surely be filled with great moments, with you as the main characters alongside him or her.

Be patient throughout the entire process. The hope and desire to grow your family can be the biggest enemies during the waiting time. But the day you receive that call, you’ll be overwhelmed by an intense mix of joy and nerves that we can’t quite describe.
In the end, it all comes down to: “All this waiting has been worth it.” Everything that comes after is about enjoying each step as a family. Be very patient, because there will be difficult moments, but above all, give him or her all the love you have—because he or she is waiting for you.

4-What challenges did you have to face as mothers in parenting? Considering that they are young children who require a lot of attention, and on top of that, two are twins and babies.

Throughout the pregnancy, we couldn’t stop hearing comments about how challenging parenting twins would be. Considering Lluís’s needs, we even received condolences, along with “I have two and I’m dying.” The biggest challenge is everything that doesn’t depend on us or our children: the fight for family balance that allows us to enjoy time together, oversee our children’s education and safety, and deal day in and day out with comments that question whether you’re a good mother.

5-When did you start becoming interested in sustainability and the environment? Is it difficult to maintain a sustainable lifestyle with two babies?

I think we’ve never not cared about it. Both of us, in one way or another, have always been very aware that we have a responsibility and that the future is in our hands. It’s the legacy we will leave to our children, and it matters to us.

Yo, Rebecca, I have always been very close to the mountains, and it’s something I’m gradually trying to pass on to the tribe: love for nature. I don’t remember going to the mountains without automatically hanging a bag outside my backpack to pick up any trash we find along the way. Now it’s Lluís who asks me if we have a bag to put papers in when we go hiking, and I love seeing how he cares for the environment and always tries to leave places cleaner than he found them.

We’re also realistic: financially, we can’t live as sustainably as we’d like, but we do try to incorporate everything within our reach into our routines and way of living. Since Mireia and Lleó arrived, we’ve lost some habits—due to lack of time and organization—that used to be part of our daily lives, such as buying fruit and vegetables at the market, supporting local, quality, and zero km consumption. We used to eat better and always choose seasonal products. We know it’s a matter of learning to organize ourselves better and making this gesture part of the family routine. Likewise, the solution might be to go to the market on weekends, all five of us together. We’ll try!

6- How has your relationship changed since you became mothers?

We’ve never been so close, and we’ve never been so happy. Those who know us know we’re from two different planets. It has been very difficult for us to learn to meet at that midpoint of balance, but in motherhood we’ve made a great team—and Lluís is a reflection of that.

7-Considering all the journey you've been through, would you like to be mothers again?

If all the conditions we believe need to be met (finances, health, mental and emotional health…) are met, yes. We love motherhood in all its facets. We enjoy spending time as a family, learning something new from them every day that helps us continue growing as mothers and as individuals.

8-What are the 3 ways you think sustainability can be taught to a child? How do you teach it to your children?

We must teach them the importance of every gesture we make. We can teach them to turn off the light or not leave the tap running when we don’t need it, but it’s even more important to teach them why we do it. It’s important that they understand the value of things—not only economically, but also emotionally. The most important thing for us is to be an example for our children. If we don’t use public transportation, we can’t expect our children to develop the habit of doing so.

At home, we keep the rule of the 3 R’s in mind: Reduce, Reuse, and Repair. Lluís has responsibilities appropriate to his age and current stage. We try to show him how lucky we are to have all the resources at our disposal and that, for this very reason, we shouldn’t abuse them. We enjoy taking baths together; it’s okay if we occasionally fill the bathtub to share that moment, but we must be aware that it shouldn’t become a routine, and above all, we should value how fortunate we are to be able to do it.

9-What is a typical day like in the Tribudetres family?

We have to admit that things are starting to feel less chaotic. It has been very difficult for us to adapt to this new rhythm of life as a big family, but we’re on the right track. We wake up an hour earlier than before. Dressing Mireia and Lleó and supervising that Lluís does it too might sound like an easy task, but it isn’t. It’s true that with Lluís we work a lot on autonomy, and that makes it much easier for him to make his breakfast, tidy up, brush his teeth… but even so, he needs us to supervise each step, and we reinforce every gesture he does well more than ever. Once we’re ready, we get going! The first stop is dropping Lluís at school—usually Marga does it because of work schedules. She always tells me how fun it is to get him into the stroller, load the babies, make sure Lluís doesn’t get out of the car, go into the school, and drop him off—especially on rainy days. Until school ends, things are a little calmer at home. It’s time to work with the twins and respect their sleep schedules in a quieter environment. Afternoons are family time. This year, we prioritize being together over doing lots of therapies (as we did last year), which currently don’t contribute as much to Lluís as simply being together. Whenever the weather allows, we take the opportunity to do things outside the house, like walking the dogs or going to leisure areas to encourage Lluís’s socialization. When we get back, we all know it’s bath time. If we have time to spare, we usually split up (mom with Lluís, twins together, mom with Mireia, Lluís with Lleó…)—we always change it up. We always have dinner together, since our lifestyle doesn’t allow us to sit down and eat earlier, and dinner is when we share how our day went. We all tidy up together, and then we go to sleep—one of the best moments of the day!