Many understand what it is like to grow up with a sibling—the laughing and crying, the constant battle for attention and food—but growing up with a twin is very different. It's truly a unique experience, and by having a constant companion throughout my early years, I learned the importance of finding my own identity. There were, however, some bumps along the way, and every twin, identical or fraternal, will go through them throughout life.
It's a gamble to decide who is who in baby pictures.
More often than not, twins, even fraternal ones, look extremely alike as babies. Even more often, parents (like mine) decide to dress the two up in matching clothes sets. Moreover, If you were born in the 90s, you and your twin definitely had those matching overalls. There are some pictures even we can't figure out.
Getting asked the same questions, over and over again.
"Are you guys identical?"
"If one of you gets hurt will the other one feel it?"
"Are you telepathic?"
"Which one of you is older?"
"Which one is the smarter twin?"
Whether or not the twins are fraternal or identical, these questions (and more) are always asked, and we would always answer as politely as we could, not matter how silly the question.
And the most asked question of them all...
"What's it like to be a twin?"
Wishing, hoping and praying that you and your twin had telepathic powers
Sadly, you didn't, but it was hilarious to see peoples' reactions when you and your twin did happen to say the same thing.
You always have a constant companion and play partner.
Whether it be competitively or for fun, your twin is someone you can count on to play with. Without my twin brother, my life would have been a lot less Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., tennis and board game-filled. Whether or not we actually made it through the games (a lot of the time we did not), I could still always count on him to keep my boredom at bay.
There's always someone to blame.
Little kids are bound to get into trouble, and twins often get into it together. The problem with this, however, is that someone will always have to take the blame. Regardless of fault, I usually found that more often than not, it wasn't just one of us getting in trouble, it was both of us taking the fall.
All the competition.
A little friendly, or not-so-friendly competition is healthy right?
There are fights.
...A LOT of them
But, you always have someone whose got your back
Fraternal or identical, having a twin provides you with a companion for life. There's always someone to count on, confide in, fight with and compete with, the connection twins have is one that cannot be recreated. When I was younger, I never knew why everyone would say, "I wish I had a twin," but looking back, it has been the greatest (and most competition-filled) blessing in the world.
