The Life of a Twin

Mary-Kate and Ashley

Two individuals born around the same time, from the same womb, that often look alike. That’s what a twin is for those who don’t know. There are two types of twins: fraternal and identical. Fraternal twins often look a little different. They also tend to be “boy and girl” twins. Identical twins often look exactly alike and are usually born no more than four minutes a part. Fraternal Twins come from two different eggs in the womb. Identical twins come from one egg that splits. That’s the science lesson for today. Siamese twins are twins that are connected. Their egg didn’t split all the way.

Twins are usually very close. When twins look alike, it is usually the most astonishing and often the most exciting thing for many people. Twins often get a lot of attention and are often popular too.

When people think of twins, many people think of two people who can read the each other’s mind. Or they might even think of two identical people playing mischevious pranks, like switching places on teachers or spouses.

I am an identical twin. And while I love my twin sister, sometimes it’s very hard to be a twin. It’s not all fun, but it isn’t ever boring.

Tia and Tamera

Sharing

Most siblings have to share. If you’re an only child, you may not have that problem. But twins have ALWAYS had to share EVERYTHING since before birth. When my sister and I were in my mother’s womb, we had to share all the food. I, being more proactive, faster, and more selfish than my sister, took all the food. My sister was born much scrawnier than I was. From that time, my parents had to give her extra special care, and often she got more attention at an earlier age. The challenge was for my parents to give us an equal amount of attention. Twins always have to share attention.

As we got older, we had to share toys, clothes, underwear, everything. Reaching our pre-teen years, this was very difficult. We fought over everything. From sharing a room to liking the same boys, it was just hard. And many of the boys would say, “I have a crush on you TWO”, not “I like YOU”. To this day, if the guy tells me he’s interested in “us”, I really don’t give him a shot.

We graduated at the same time, so we shared our grad party. Because everything happened at the same time for us, we always did everything together.

When my sister and I got our first car, guess what? Unlike most people who get to drive their own car, we had to share.

Well, the upside through having to share so much is that in life you never have a problem sharing with your spouse. Even though most twins aren’t quick to get married (because they realize how much work a long-term relationship requires), they have the lowest divorce rate because understanding another person has always been a major part of their lives. They know that no relationship is easy, and that every argument shouldn’t end in a break-up all the time. Twins often have to make-up after disagreements.

The Veronicas

Awkward Moments

Yea, every one has awkward moments. But awkward moments are always a major part of being a twin. If you’re a “boy and girl” twin, a lot of times the boys are always called the girl’s name and the girl is called her brother’s. Many times, when they are younger, the only way to tell the difference is to look in their pants.

Twins who look more alike always have awkward moments. Many times, people who know my sister try to talk to me, even though I don’t know who they are. This makes things awkward. In the middle of their conversation, I could stop them mid-sentence, tell them “I’m not her, I’m her twin” and make them feel awkward. Or I could play it off like I’m her, and then tell my sister later that I saw someone she knew. Even though the latter is lying, so many things happen between us, that my memory becomes hers. So technically, even if my sister wasn’t there, because I tell her everything, it’s like she was there.

Here’s another awkward scenario: Someone is sitting in a cafeteria. I walk in, that person says “hi” to me, I say “hi” back and I leave out another door. My sister walks in the door I entered, and the person says “hi” again and asks, “Didn’t you just leave? Deja vu.” And she says, “Oh no, that was probably my twin sister.” Awkward.

And people always awkwardly stare at twins. Everybody hates to be stared at, especially by weirdos. Twins are always stared at, but I guess I’ve met a lot of friends that way…Just the other day, my friend was walking next to us. A police officer just stopped and stared with his mouth wide open. My friend, who is used to us, felt a little uneasy. I told her that “It was because we’re twins”. Yea, we get all the roaming eyes…and not because we’re bombshell girls (though I don’t think I’m ugly).

That brings me to my next point. Boyfriends…That awkward moment when your boyfriend accidently kisses your twin sister, thinking she’s you…Or when he gets mad because he can’t tell whether you’re cheating because he thinks he saw you with someone else, but he forgot you were a twin. Awkward.

And those awkward questions people ask twins all day long. “Do you guys, like, feel what the other person is feeling?” No. We don’t. Well, only once in a while.

And there’s that awkward moment when your own mother can’t tell you apart. This is especially bad when one of you are in trouble.

There’s also that awkward moment when I can’t tell myself apart on my own pictures. I look at my baby and kiddie pictures all the time, and I still can’t figure out which one is me.

I think Siamese twins have it more awkward than all twins. They are connected together literally. That’s gotta be painfully hard. And awkward.

Cole and Dylan

Pros

The upside is twins do get to play some pretty fun pranks. Switching places is fun on April Fools. Twins are also very close, so they don’t need a lot of friends. This is why many twins aren’t as pressured to fit in with their peers. Many twins always have someone to talk to, and many feel complete. Many spouses find this a problem, however, as it seems their significant other is being shared by their twin.

If I’m trying to get into a club and I forgot my I.D., I could always use hers and pass it off…that is, if she’s with me…

But in my opinion, spouses should think of it as a good thing. I’m willing to share my twin with my spouse. And I never get jealous about it. My sister and I are close like that. Only if it’s outside of us…JOKING. HAHA…I do get jealous! Twins should stay away from their siblings’ spouses! Period. It isn’t healthy.

So anyway, if you have any twins in your life or want to get to know any twins, now is the time to share your stories below!

Harry Potter Twins-Weasley Brothers