Growing Up with Twins

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a twin? I have identical twin sisters who are older than me. Blonde hair and blue eyes, they always seem to attract some kind of attention. They were known as the "doublemint twins" or "double trouble." Growing up was very interesting. People would stare at them as if they were a freak of nature. I do recall strangers examining each of their faces to see who had the freckle and who didn't to see if there was some kind of way to tell who was who. I always thought it would be neat to have someone look exactly like me. We were stopped constantly in malls, restaurants, and grocery stores as people would stop and stare. My sisters would look at eachother and say to themselves "Here we go again." They even switched classes in college and participated in classroom discussions. The professor never even blinked an eye or questioned the fact that it was his student's twin sister sitting in her place that afternoon.

The twins were extremely close growing up. They did everything together. It wasn't uncommon to see them country dancing to their favorite song as one danced the lead as the man and the other followed as the lady. They would laugh as they danced around the dance floor spinning and twirling as onlookers watched the twins pass by. Not only did they both love to dance, they loved the same food, and the same clothes. And they did have their arguements like normal sisters do. They were known as the "twins." Rarely did I hear people call them by their individual names. Many people wondered if they were competitive since they were identical. They were not competitive at all. They had and still have a connection that only they can understand. It is not uncommon to see them finish eachother sentences or understand what the other is thinking.

My sisters are now in their 30's and it is interesting to me how many sets of twins there are in the world due to our medical advances with invitro fertilization. My twin sisters were conceived naturally. It is incredible how my mother had the twins on her 3rd pregnancy along with her 2 sisters who also conceived twins on their third pregnancy. I often wonder if I will ever have twins. I have heard that one of the twins is afraid of a 3rd pregnancy because of the strong genetics in the family. They do seem like a lot of work. However, I'm sure it's double the fun.