At some point in their lives, all twins learn to expect the same questions:
Can you like, read each other's minds?
Have you guys ever switched places?
If you've been one of the people asking these questions, don't worry about it. Unless the person you've asked is having a really off day, truth is they're probably used to the typical old inquiries. We learn to expect them. And maybe if we feel up to it, we'll give you a more exciting answer. "Yes, I can read her mind, and she says there's a pop quiz in your next class. Better get on that!"
Now, my sister and I are identical, so I can't speak for every set of twins. Not every pair of twins is, well, identical or has identical experiences. Fraternal twins only share 50 percent of DNA (glorified sibling status) while identical twins share the full 100 percent so, well, you never know. Maybe it's the fraternal twins that get to read each other's minds.
Here are 10 perks of being a twin.
1. Built-in best friend.
Not everyone may be as close to their twin as I am with mine, so I count myself lucky for that. As far as I know, since we were born, we've been best buds. Sure we've had our fall-outs, but they usually don't last more than a couple hours at most. Sometimes we make up with formal apologies, and other times the formalities aren't necessary.
Through thick and thin, my sister's been there for me. She's comforted me, made excuses for me, (I'm sorry to say I'm the evil twin in this partnership) and pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone to help me grow into the best me she knows I can be. No matter if we're in a fight or going through a rough patch, we always look out for each other and defend each other whenever we need to.
2. We're always connected, even with our differences.
In the first article, I mentioned my high school emo phase. And there's some residue left over from that — mostly coating my stack of My Chemical Romance albums — but I've moved past the extremes.
My twin sister, however, didn't let her hair reach rat's nest status or wear layers of black in the summer. Besides being the good twin she's also the smart one, obviously. Since high school, she's been the more "preppy" twin, but despite our different styles, friends and non-mutual interests, we've never really not been close.
I mean, we have similar interests, too. We still like some of the same bands and we quote musicals at least once a day when we're together. We also both love reading. I'd probably start questioning our being identical if we didn't.
I'm also a Slytherin, and while she's still not 100 percent sure of her own Hogwarts house (don't ask me why this hasn't been a priority), I know green and silver wouldn't be her primary colors.
3. We can't exactly read each other's minds, but we still have our moments.
We might think the same thing at the same time. Even if it's irrelevant to whatever we were discussing out loud. One or both of us may voice the thought, or we might finish the sentence the other started. Granted, that last in itself isn't totally unheard of in close friendships or other sibling relationships, but I'm still convinced it's a special connection. Not to make it sound like I have some twin superiority complex. Because I don't. Totally.
I'll also sometimes get ready to text her but right as I do, I'll get my own from her. This is significant only because, especially when we're not living near each other, there are times we only text every few days, so when we've got something to text each other at the same time, it feels more than coincidental.
4. We have an instinctive emotional connection.
Not exactly a spidey-senses-are-tingling sensation, but it's about as close as you can get to it. Whether we're hanging out in the same room or there's hundreds of miles between us, we can often times tell what's up. If I've got some hunch that something's wrong and I call her, then she's got me there on the phone if she's upset and needs to talk to someone. It's a little easier to rant to someone when you don't have to dial the number yourself.
5. Use your twin as a scapegoat and apologize later.
Mostly kidding on this one. A little bit not.
"Hey, you're the girl that started snoring in class the other day!"
"Oh no, I have a twin. Must have been her!"
6. Fun fact to tell people.
Whenever you get stuck in one of those get-to-know you games and are blanking on something interesting to say, the "I'm a twin" fun fact is always an adequate response. Not super exciting, but it works. Sort of on par with having a clown-fish called Nemo but less exciting than having a hedgehog named Sonic.
7. You're often compared to twin celebrities/characters.
Which can be kind of an ego boost, let's be honest.
Unless it's Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger from "Twins."
Then it's not quite as flattering.
8. No excuse to get a lame cake for birthdays because there's two of us so really there should be double.
We're letting you off easy here.
9. Getting to tease people when they mix you up, especially if it's family.
10. Twin cosplay.
We haven't officially coordinated everything yet, but we've discussed a few ideas with each other. Yeah you can get a friend or another sibling to do it with you, but it's extra special when it's an actual set of twins cosplaying twins, isn't it? Or if cosplay isn't your thing, coordinating double-trouble Halloween costumes is fun, too. Despite the fact that we're apparently identical we don't look exactly the same anymore, but I still have strangers wave or try to talk to me thinking I'm my sister so there must be some lingering resemblance.
I'll be honest, there are some difficult things that come with being a twin too, but what matters most is that the pros of being born alongside my best friend outweigh the "cons."
And that is something I've never doubted. Love you, sis.
