Siblings

I am one of four children. I have an older brother, an older sister, and a twin sister. I am close with each of them, but obviously, as one might guess, I am closest with my twin. I often get asked what it is like to be a twin, but I normally counter by asking what is it like to be a single. All of my life, I have been treated, somewhat, like a part of a unit. My birthday candles were never blown out just by me, and I always had a roommate. We went to school together, sat together, and even now, we go to college together. We are able to escape some of the pitfalls of being lumped together that identical twins go through, but we are definitely seen as a pair more often than not. I think we have managed to branch out a lot since this university is a big place, but it is nice to have a tie to my childhood and my home here. I disagree with people that think this is stunting my quest for independence, or that I am doing the same for her, because we are too entirely different people. She has her own group of friends, and I have mine. We have a lot of mutual friends as well, but for the most part, we are not tied at the hip. I like the fact that God gave me someone to share birthdays and school with, while still making us different enough that we can be recognized as separate people. It really is great to be a twin!

Siblings

Like it not, we are compared to others. When we are applying for colleges, we are being selected out of a group. When we are applying for a job, the same thing goes. We'd like to think that we aren't compared at home, but if you have any siblings, you know that isn't the case. We will always be measured not solely by our own achievements, but against the achievements of our brothers and sisters. I know that parents don't mean to do that, but they can't help it. If one of your sisters does well in math, but for you it is a difficult subject, you will automatically be chastised for not living up to her success. I have an older brother, an older sister, and a twin sister, and we all get compared to each other daily. It isn't done in a mean way, as our mother and father truly do appreciate all of us for our own unique abilities, but still, the competition is there. My twin and I have especially been compared over the years, as we were often in the same classes and we even go to the same college now. It sometimes feels like we have to make sure we do at least as well as the other is doing, so as not to get any comments about who the smarter twin is. It can be difficult when you can't escape the competetive nature in your own home. Though it can be tough, it is good to have somewhat of a driving force to help us achieve our very best. We only want the best for each other and are each other's biggest cheerleaders.