It's A Twin Thing

If you have been reading this blog long, you know that I have a twin. If you know me personally, you know that my twin and I are inseparable. We talk on the phone 3-4 times a day, which we didn't realize wasn't normal until our husbands kindly pointed it out. They try to understand our relationship as best they can, but they'll never truly get it. Nobody will. She is the only person in the world who has truly been through everything with me. From wombies to roomies to maids of honor, we have been through it all together. I could write a novel and still not explain our relationship to the rest of the world, but I can answer some of the lingering questions most people have when they find out we are twins.

So you want to know about twins...

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:

If you pinch me, will she feel it?
I started with the dumbest question, but it's one of the most popular. No I can't feel it when you pinch her. But you'll feel it when I pinch you for pinching her. Side note: twins stick up for one another. This got us in trouble in elementary school.

Can you tell me what she's thinking?
This one isn't a resounding no like the first question. Can I read her mind? No, but can I tell you what she is thinking sometimes? Yes. We have the same life experiences, the same favorite movies, and the same inside jokes. If you say something to us, it will likely trigger the same thoughts. When someone asks us a question, we may respond at the same time with the same words.

Do you have your own language?
Obviously not now, but my parents say we used to talk gibberish to each other as babies and we really seemed to understand each other.

Are your other sisters twins?
We have two other sisters, so that is what brings on this question. The answer is no. Do you know what the chances of that would be? Since identical twins are about 1 in 285, the chances of having them twice in a row aren't high, to say the least. Fun fact: all four of us look so similarly that we could be quadruplets.

Are you identical?
Yes? Honestly, we don't know. My parents didn't have the test done when we were babies, and that's okay. We are pretty sure that we are identical, but we will never find out for sure. If we got the tests done and found out we were fraternal, we would be a little disappointed. That would also mean we would have lied to hundreds of people since we always just say we are identical. We'd rather not have that on our consciences ;)

And here are the commonly asked questions that twins kind of hate:

Are you twins?
No, we just have the same face. Yes we're twins!

How do we tell you apart?
This is an honest question, but it's one twins really hate being asked. We are different people and if you take the time to get to know us, you will be able to tell the difference easily. Our husbands have never not been able to tell us apart...except for when Parker came home from his bachelor party, but we will save that story for another day.

If I tell you something, will you not tell your twin?
(rolls eyes) We think it's so funny when friends make unflattering comments about the other one. It isn't something that happens all the time or anything, but we will always tell the other one. Always. We respect the wishes of our parents and husbands if they ask us to keep something to ourselves, but if others ask just so they can gossip about the other one, forget about it.

And lastly, the most commonly asked question and the hardest to answer:

What is it like to be a twin?
From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it. I can't put into words what it is like to be a twin. I can tell you it is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I can tell you that having a built in best friend to go through life with is the gift that keeps on giving. I can tell you that it took me twice as long to write this post as it should have because I took a break to Facetime with her. I can tell you that she means everything to me. She's my person.