Fun fact about me: I’m a twin. I have a twin broski named Carl. I like to call him my “former wombmate.” It’s funny, because every time someone asks me what it feels like to be a twin, my response is something weird like, “I feel like it would be weirder to be born by yourself.” Ha, I simply don’t know what it’s like to not be a twin because being a twin is the norm for me. And that kind of got me thinking about what other things might seem normal to me even though they’re really only things that twins would understand. So. Without further ado…here are seven things that I think only (boy-girl) twins would understand.
Note: Since some, but not all, of these things apply to boy-girl twins exclusively, I put “boy-girl” in parentheses in the title of this post 😉
Some people actually think a boy and a girl can be identical.
The funniest question Carl and I got when people found out we were twins—and we got this frequently—was, “Are you guys identical or fraternal?” I used to always think people were joking when they asked this, but much of the time this question was asked in all seriousness; so I quickly taught myself not to laugh when this was asked. But really, guys? Know your biology 😉
You were mistaken for someone of the opposite gender on the phone growing up.
Ha, so this one is really specific. But there was this era growing up—before either of us hit puberty, of course—when either me or Carl would answer the phone and constantly get mistaken for each other. So if I answered the phone, one of my parents’ friends would respond by saying, “Carl, is that you?” Apparently we sounded very similar on the phone, which to us was funny because what girl wants to be mistaken for a boy on the phone, or vice versa??
People in high school thought you were dating your sibling.
Most people we knew in high school knew that Carl and I were twins, but there were always those select few who simply thought we got along super well. Carl and I ran track together, drove to and from school together, and sat together at lunch whenever we had the same lunch, so I suppose I can see why people jumped to this conclusion. Ew, though.
If you’re the girl twin, being taller than your twin brother for a second was awesome.
Girls tend to hit puberty before boys, so there was a brief period in middle school when I was actually taller than Carl. It was glorious.
A birthday is a shared experience.
A birthday party just for me? What? This one is probably obvious, and of course it applies to all sets of twins—not just boy-girl twins. But how could I not include the central part of being a twin? Maybe some twins grow up celebrating their birthdays separately, but for me and Carl, our birthday was definitely a shared experience. Double birthday parties like this, sharing birthday presents, fighting over what type of cake we would get or which restaurant we would go to…it all happened. Not that I’m complaining, since sharing your birthday with someone can always make for a bigger party. It’s odd though because my brother and I live in different places now, and for the first time ever we’re starting to have solo birthday parties. We hardly know what to do with all of the singular attention.
You share more than just a birthday.
Again, this applies to all twin sets, but I couldn’t leave this central part of being a twin out, either. Being a twin is about more than simply sharing a birthday growing up. You share gifts, bedrooms, friends, etc. I like to think being a twin has made me a more compassionate person in this way (maybe?)
The older twin can always brag about being born first.
Being older wouldn’t matter, except for the fact that we’ve been asked who is the older twin numerous times. I happen to be the older twin in this duo. By one minute. I never let Carl forget this between 7:00 and 7:01 p.m. on our birthday.
19 Comments
Idk how I came across this, but it's awesome!!! I love it!
-Mel DiV
Hi! I have a twin brother (I am the younger) I relate to almost everything except I have always been taller! And it is soooooooo annoying when people think we are dating. I would never date him 😂😂… The crazy thing is I know 3 other sets of fraternal twins and 2 sets of identical twins – Eleanor
Haha yeah, exactly! I know a few sets of fraternal twins, and oddly enough with most of them, the boy is left-handed and the girl is right-handed (as is the case in my…twinship haha.) I wonder if you’ve seen that trend too?? So weird!
I have a twin brother (I’m a girl) and I’m right-handed and he is left-handed!
Wow, see?? I think it’s a legit thing! So weird haha.
My son is left handed and his twin sister is right handed!! But she can do mirror writing and often muddles her letters, which is something her sisters don’t do!?!
So cool! I heard a theory recently that the left-handed/right-handed thing might have to do with like a mirror/symmetry thing in the womb? Might be totally made up haha—but interesting nonetheless!
Huh, that’s so interesting! I wonder why?
I am also a twin but I am the older and taller in 5th grade so far we are going into middle school now and I am taller everyone always thinks I like him because we spend a lot of time together (twin instincts) lol -Grace
I am a twin sister but my brother past away sadly. we were so close.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Maddy. You are so strong—sending warm thoughts your way <3
Tysm for this. I’m writing a novel about twins and wanted to make it as real as possible and this rly helped.
That is the coolest, Hana! I’m happy to be your twin correspondent any time 🙂 Good luck with your novel!
“‘Are you guys identical or fraternal'”. (Later in that same section): “‘Really guys? Know your biology'”.
I do. And so I should point out that it is actually possible for a boy and a girl to be identical twins. There is a genetic mutation that can occur in male identical twins before they’re born which results in one of the twins losing a male chromosome and developing as a female. However, even as an identical twin (male), I agree that it is stupid to ask boy/girl twins this question because of how rare it is for that genetic mutation to occur. It would also be pretty obvious if you were identical because the female would then suffer from Turner’s Syndrome. The symptoms of which include ptosis (drooping eyelids), abnormal fingernails and toenails, and diminutive stature. – Mike Wilson
Hi Maurine,
I love your twinship story.
I’m a man, and I was supposed to have a twin sister (she died early in pregnancy) . I feel like my brain is pre-wired to have a twin, and I constantly think about my twin sister. I loved reading your twin story, as I get to have some insights into how life with a twin sister might have been. It might sound odd to some people, particularly singletons, but although my sister died early in pregnancy, starting life as a twin is a really massive deal to me. If you know of any similar twin websites, I’d love it if you could point me to them.
A big thank you for sharing your twin story. 🙂
Aw, I’m so sorry to hear that, Gora. Thank you for sharing your story—it’s so great to hear another twin’s perspective!
As a mom to a set of twins i absolutely loved this! Stumbled across it as i was looking up how normal it is for girls to be taller in b/g twins. I have a set of 11.5 yr old b/g twins and my daughter has, in this past year, started towering over her brother – much to his annoyance and i wanted to see if i should let her enjoy calling him ‘shrimp’ since its short lived or tell her to quit being a pain to him! She too is quite fond of reminding him how she’s exactly a minute older than him and he needs to be more respectful!
So, quick question, when exactly does the constant bickering end? I legit feel like the majority of my time now is spent playing referee! Please tell me it ends soonish!
Haha oh no, I’m sorry to hear about the bickering! My brother and I fought a lot, wrestling and everything! I think things will calm down during middle or high school for sure. They may even share friend groups and hang out together 🙂
Our girl/boy twins are now adults with their respective families. The girl is left handed and the boy prefers his right hand. They were raised with four older siblings which definitely influenced their personality development.
When our boy was delivered I discovered a second child coming out while the physician was busy cleaning up the first child. Not knowing there is a twin doesn’t happen anymore…but, it definitely changed how we as parents approached their twinning.
Sometimes we witness unexpected and unexplained communication between our twins…but, for the most part we treat them as just members of the family without reference to the twin birthing.