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Just Like Me
The Challenges of Being a Preteen Twin By Carma Haley Shoemaker
"There are only two negatives I can think of being a twin," says Greta K. Houlahan, a marketing communications specialist from Ann Arbor, Mich. and a twin. "One is the constant competition between us, and the other is the constant comparisons friends, relatives, etc. make about our personalities and our features. However, if I were to compare the positives with the negatives, I would definitely say the positives outweigh the negatives. After all, my twin is my best friend. We think alike, we act alike and we like to do the same things. I can't imagine life without her."
"As a twin, you have a lot to deal with," says Kohl. "There are twin myths, twin stereotypes and twin expectations. There are also plenty of twin frustrations that can occur on a daily basis. Fortunately, the frustrations are fairly common, and twins quickly learn to handle them."
Ask any parent of a preteen, and you will hear stories of emotions raging, hormones developing and rebellion rearing its ugly head and that's just with one child. Add in the "fun" of being a twin, and these parents should be eligible for hazard pay.
"One of the biggest temptations for twins, hands down, has got to be in academics," says Kohl. "After all, if one of the twins is strong in a subject and the other twin is strong in another subject, the logical thing to do would be to help each other out in whatever way you can. After all, twins can look alike and sound exactly alike. If they dress alike, that's even better. What an opportunity!"
But inevitably, competitiveness between the pair will rear its ugly head. "Competition among siblings, though often subtle, is a normal part of family life," says Kohl. "Brothers and sisters often compete for everything from love and attention to praise and rewards. Often the competition is not openly recognized or acknowledged but instead subtly permeates family dynamics. Twins are no exception to the competition rule. Most will admit they are very competitive, and their competitiveness extends to sports, school, business, romance and other areas of life."