Twin Troubles

"I still can't tell you two apart."

These words are like a knife in my heart, especially when they are said with a little trill of laughter or by relatives or friends I've known for years. I am a twin, so I hear these words on an almost daily basis.

Now, don't get me wrong—being a twin is awesome. I always have someone to have adventures with and to count on. She's my permanent buddy whom I can do everything and anything with. Playing jokes on people is also quite enjoyable, but sometimes I wish it were not as easy for us to trick people.

Just because we look alike does not mean we're identical. It's a common misconception. Identical twins split from the same egg and will have the same DNA, meaning that identical twins can never be a boy and a girl. They don't always look exactly the same, either. Fraternal twins, on the other hand, happen when two different eggs are fertilized. They don't share DNA and may or may not look alike or be the same sex.

My sister and I are fraternal, and we happen to look quite similar, but we are separate beings. She loves listening to country music, but when she does I always complain that my ears are bleeding. She would rather nap than shop, but I could spend hours in the mall. I talk her ear off about every little thing that happened to me that day, but she would rather keep the talking short and only talk about the important things. My wardrobe is a large variety of styles and colors while hers is smaller and mostly blue. We do have our similarities, but we have our differences as well.

The next time you see twins, remember that they are individuals just like you and are unique no matter how similar they seem. The only difference is that they came into the world with an automatic friend for life.

To read more about my experiences of being a twin, visit http://stanceforthefamily.byu.edu/sweet-twindipity-thoughts-on-being-a-twin/.