Having a twin sister is quite possibly the coolest thing on the planet when you’re cool with each other. A lot of people ask “What's it like growing up with a twin.” I never have a solid answer to this, but I guess it’s a lot like growing up with your sibling that doesn’t look like you. Except we’re probably 1000x closer and could hypothetically take the SAT for each other. Here’s a list of things that you will only understand if you’re part of an identical dynamic duo.
1) Always being the bookends in photos
“I want a picture with the twins!” There have been days when taking group photos with friends where its basically just each friend subbing in for the last one as they jump in between my sister and I. I have very little photos of me standing in the middle of anyone.
2) Feeling like a "Spot the Difference" game
Sometimes feeling like that game in the middle pages of the coloring book where you have to try and find 7 things different between the two photos, or like you’re part of a police lineup because people have you stand next to each other so they can study any differences. This is a thing people actually do.
3) Answering the question "Where's your other half?"
Let it be known this is every twin’s least favorite question. How would you like it if you were repeatedly referred to as being only half a person? 50% of something? Just as a heads up.
4) That whole 3 way thing...
Never going to happen. For those of you whose fantasy is to have a threeway with twins 1) that’s super creepy and 2) never going to play out in the real world.
5) People just not getting the whole birth thing
When’s your birthday? Oh cool, when’s your sister’s?
Are. You. Serious.
6) "Can you read each other's minds?"
Some people think the word "twin" is synonymous with "psychic." While I can generally anticipate her reactions, and sometimes we do that thing where we say same thing at the same time, we cannot read each other's minds as much as you and a goldfish can. Unless you are particularly close with your goldfish and have a kickass, intuitive relationship then yes, it's exactly like that.
7) Matching Clothes
Because matching clothes are inevitable when you’re babies, and then your parents progress to buying you the same clothes in different colors, (“I was the one who wanted blue”) by the time you can pick out your clothes for yourself you literally want zero resemblance between the two of you. Real recognizes real.
8) Which one of you came out first?
Vacations, friends' parents, that drunk lady at my grandparents' 50th anniversary, I have heard this question upwards of 100 times. My first instinct is “Does it even matter?” Like really, how does this bit of information affect your life? But then my second train of thought takes over, never one to pass up an opportunity to say “15 minutes” because older is older.
9) The interminable fight over "Shot gun".
Almost more important than being able to drive at the same time, was probably being able to sit in the passenger seat at the same time. Any parent knows this is like a 6 year back and forth- it’s not about winning the war, but a few victorious trips to school or Jamba Juice are nice battles to win all the same.
9) "When are 'the twins' coming over?"
If you guys have the same group of friends, which is inevitable at some point in life, you hear this a lot. As part of a twin dynamic duo, your very beings get sandwiched together, and subsequently form one unit known as "the twins".
11) You have 2 names you answer to
Your ears have been automatically fine tuned to respond to not only your name, but also your sister’s on account of having been mistaken for her so many times.
12) "What do you want for your birthday this year?"
This is not a rude question but rather a professional courtesy in the world of twin gift giving. It's not like it was going to be a surprise party anyway.
13) The "If I do this to your twin, what happens to you?" inquiries
If you punch her in the arm, no I will not feel it.
It doesn’t work like that. So I'm terribly sorry if you have a passive aggressive chip on your shoulder for my sister, and I'm the only one in the near area.
14) "What's it like being a twin?"
Well I don't have much else to compare it to, but I'd say it's going pretty swell.
15) Having your insults severely limited
Never being able to use the insult "You're ugly" or "Your mom" as a response, as you are just dissing yourself. Comebacks in the middle school era required a little bit more thought for this reason.
16) Mistaken identity crisis
Awkwardly waving back to people who seem to clearly know you, even though you've never seen them in your life because you figure it's just easier than explaining you're the twin sister.
17) The perpetual game of 2 vs. 1 against your parents.
Your team is always up at least one player. Even if she knows you’re wrong, she’ll still stick up for you when in a standoff.
Having a twin is basically a best friend that literally can't get rid of you- and vice versa. Growing up I started to realize that some people didn’t get to live with their best friend, and now that my sister and I are in different states for college I’m starting to realize I don’t like it at all. My sister knows me better than any other person on the planet, sometimes including myself.
Thank you for singing the high notes really badly while car dancing with me, and thank you for being my go to when I have to draft texts to boys right down to the punctuation. Thank you for cheering me on in all my bad decisions, and always waiting until all has been said and done to tell me it’s “not that bad.”
