Does every parent of twins have such
difficulty telling them apart when they are babies?
I know this isn't something the father of six-month-old babies should be
admitting publicly, but it takes 30 seconds of detailed studying before I am
able to correctly name a baby, and that is only if they are side by side.
If I don't have the boys side by side, I might as well just flip a coin because
I have no idea. Even with them side by side, I would say that I am about
70% sure I am correct. Mrs. B acts much more confident when identifying which
Twin-kie is which, but you can see a fraction of doubt in her eyes if you
question her.
Maybe I am just too close to the situation,
because within 15 seconds of meeting the boys for the first time, a friend was
able to say which one was which and point out the differences. Predictably, all
of Mrs. B's friends think the differences are obvious, and yet they still have about as much success as I do when it comes
to naming the babies.
Does all of this mean that the Twin-kies are identical....the answer to that remains as clear as the actual identities of each of the babies. Apparently today's pediatricians don't care if twins are identical or fraternal. The only thing we know is that there has not been any indication, as of yet that they are fraternal (such as different blood types, different colored eyes, etc.), but there has also been nothing to definitively identify them as identical.
Does all of this mean that the Twin-kies are identical....the answer to that remains as clear as the actual identities of each of the babies. Apparently today's pediatricians don't care if twins are identical or fraternal. The only thing we know is that there has not been any indication, as of yet that they are fraternal (such as different blood types, different colored eyes, etc.), but there has also been nothing to definitively identify them as identical.
Mrs. B and I worry
about the hilarity that is going to ensue within our little group of
guys. Let’s take a cinematic look back at what kinds of trouble identical
twins get themselves into I would like to start with the Disney classic,
"The Parent Trap" (not the Lindsey Lohan version.....Lord knows we
don't want that kind of trouble) starring Haley Mills. A couple of cute
girls find out they are identical twins and together they play mean tricks on
their step-parent to get their real parents together.
Example Two (a more contemporary example): The Scavo twins on Desperate
Housewives (2004 – 2012)... since even their parents have a difficult time
telling them apart, these two boys are constantly switching identities to allow
the other twin to get away with some kind of mischief...does that sound
familiar?
Example Three: Quite
possibly my favorite example, but as a parent it is the scariest. The
Weasley twins from Harry Potter, Fred and George, spend nearly every moment of
their existence thinking up pranks and causing all kinds of mischief. I
would be remiss if I didn't mention that Fred and George have always been
my favorite characters in the book. Mainly because even though they
get into trouble all of the time, deep down they have a heart for
others and a passion for life.
With my tendency for
getting into trouble and love of a good prank, it is entirely possible our
boys have a genetic disposition that will lead them down a path similar to that
of the Weasley twins. Although they have a tendency to cause trouble,
more importantly, they have big hearts. I will work hard as a parent to
ensure that my boys develop the big caring heart; I am pretty sure the trouble-making
will take care of itself.
This post by Minor Baker was first shared about four years ago. Minor and "Mrs. B" recently became the parents of four when a little girl joined her three older brothers. He can be reached at minorbaker@gmail.com.
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